
•" 




Class __ 



CoKTightls! 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



"CHOSEN" 



"CHOSEN 



yy 



BY 

/ 

Mrs. Constans L. Goodell 



With an Introduction 

By 
Miss Frances J. Dyer 



" Take my life and let it be 

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee" 




New York Chicago Toronto 

Fleming H. Revell Company 

London and Edinburgh 



JdcG3 



Copyright 1902, by 

FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY 

{October) 



"r'ME -'ubrarv OF 

CONGRESS, 
Tvw CtJHtbe Rtcstveo' 

WW. "25 1902 

CfWWGHT ENTRY 

|CLASeot>yXo. No, 

/f 1 & 8 e 

COPY B. 



NEW YORK, 158 Fifth Avenue 
CHICAGO, 63 Washington Street 
TORONTO, 27 Richmond Street W. ! 
LONDON, 21 Paternoster Square 
EDINBURGH, 30 St. Mary Street 



" Blessed are they that do His 

commandments , that they may 
have right to the tree of life, 
and may enter in through 
the gates into the city" 



To the memory of my dear Husband 

who was the cheer and inspiration 
of my home for twenty-seven years ; 
and whose faithful and efficient 
services in the Christian ministry 
won for him the love and grate- 
ful esteem of all who knew him. 

This little volume 
is affectionately inscribed 



Introduction 



THERE has recently come into use, once 
more, the quaint, mediaeval phrase, "to 
practice the presence of God." Its revival 
is an evidence that the longing of humanity 
to-day is still embodied in Augustine's cry: 
" O God, Thou hast made us for Thyself 
and our hearts are restless till they rest in 
Thee." 

But how can we "practice the presence 
of God"? How can we act upon the ad- 
vice of Job's friend, to " Acquaint now thy- 
self with Him and be at peace " ? 

The best and most direct way is through 
His Word. Next to the Bible come books 
of devotion written by those who, out of 
their own deep experiences of pain, loss, 
temptation, baffled hopes and defeated 
plans, of calmness, strength, triumph, joy, 
aye, of rapture, have learned to "practice 
7 



8 INTRODUCTION 

the presence of God," and are thus fitted 
to teach others the beautiful art. 

For many years, Mrs. Goodell has been 
such a teacher by means of her Bible 
Readings. The limited circles, in various 
cities, who have enjoyed the privilege of 
hearing them from her own lips, urged 
their publication in leaflet form. Many of 
them have had a wide circulation, passing 
through several editions, and the steady de- 
mand justifies their compilation into a book. 

From personal knowledge I can testify to 
the need of literature of this character 
among leaders of Bible Classes, King's 
Daughters' Circles, and similar gatherings. 
Therefore I take great pleasure in commend- 
ing this little volume to the Christian public. 

Doubtless the significance of the title of 
the book is far deeper than Mrs. Goodell 
realized when making the selection. May 
we not feel that she has indeed been 
"chosen " for the blessed service of teach- 
ing us how "to practice the presence of 
God " ? 

May all who peruse these pages become 



INTRODUCTION 9 

profoundly and reverently conscious that 
He is 

'* Nearer to us than breathing, 
Closer than hands and feet." 

Then as we have this vision of the glory 
of the Lord may we be "transformed into 
the same image from glory to glory even as 
from the Lord, the Spirit." 

Frances J. Dyer. 

Boston, September ; 1902. 



Contents 



PAGE 

"Chosen" 13 

" Thou Shalt be a Blessing " . . 20 
Christian Restfulness . . . .25 

Salutations 33 

Wayside Ministries (A Bible Reading), 43 
The "North Wind" and the "South 

Wind" 54 

A Time to be Sick 

Visiting the Sick .... 

Is There a Better Way ? 

" Nothing " (A Bible Reading) . 

Privilege of Teaching God's Word 

Christian Companionship 

" The Fruit of the Lips " 

"I Have Learned" 

"Where are the Nine? 

Reading) 

"A New Song" . 

11 



{A Bible 



60 

69 

77 
81 

87 

93 

99 

no 

117 
124 



12 CONTENTS 

"One Sweetly Solemn Thought " .130 
" So Great a Cloud of Witnesses " . 137 
Memorials . . . . , .144 
Retrospect 151 



"Chosen" 



THIS little word, as it is often used in 
the Bible, is a window through which 
we may catch glimpses of God's eternal 
and sovereign designs with regard to His 
children. While He is no respecter of per- 
sons in the sense that His infinite love is for 
all, and His favors and blessings are free and 
open to all on equal terms, it is just as true 
that He makes special selections from out 
the great company He has created, of those 
who shall in this life have some share in the 
building up of His kingdom on the earth. 
To each individual thus "chosen," God 
draws near and puts him into those special 
conditions which will enable him best to 
work out God's purpose. 

The word is sometimes applied to Chris- 
tians in a body, as when Paul said to the 
saints at Ephesus, "He hath chosen us in 
13 



14 "CHOSEN" 

Him before the foundation of the world ; " 
and to the Thessalonians, "God hath from 
the beginning chosen you; " and in Christ's 
own words to His disciples, " I have chosen 
you out of the world." Sometimes it im- 
plies a more personal thought, as of Paul — 
"He is a chosen vessel unto me;" and in 
the words of David, "Of all my sons, the 
Lord hath chosen Solomon." 

In these choices we may think of God as 
deliberately looking about among His chil- 
dren, passing by some and preferring others 
for special ends, thus exercising His divine 
wisdom and love for the good of all. 
Solomon was chosen "to sit upon the 
throne of the kingdom of the Lord over 
Israel; " the Ephesians, " that we should be 
holy and without blame before Him in 
love; " the Thessalonians, " chosen to salva- 
tion;" Christ's disciples, "that ye should 
bring forth fruit; " Paul, "to bear My name 
before the Gentiles and kings and children 
of Israel." 

So far we can easily understand that it is 
a peculiar honor to be chosen of God, and 



"CHOSEN" 15 

a true mark of His confidence and love. But 
when we hear Him say, " I have chosen thee 
in the furnace of affliction," we start back in 
terror and surprise. "What! can this be 
a token of His love ?" " If God loves me, 
why does He not grant me exemption from 
all that is hard and painful, and bestow on 
me things only that are pleasant and desira- 
ble ? " Oh, but we must draw a little closer, 
if we would be let into the sacred mystery 
of such words as these! They have a 
meaning very sweet and precious. In one 
instance it is distinctly recorded, " The Lord 
did not choose you because . . . but be- 
cause the Lord loved you." 

Look for a moment at some of God's 
chosen people of old — how they suffered! 
Abraham, when, in obedience to the divine 
command, he raised the knife to slay his 
own son — yet Abraham was "the friend of 
God." What a furnace of affliction Jacob 
was passing through when he exclaimed, 
"Me have ye bereaved of my children; 
Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will 
take Benjamin away; all these things are 



16 "CHOSEN" 

against me!" And yet hear the voice of 
God saying to Jacob: "Thou art My serv- 
ant; I have chosen thee. Fear thou not, for 
I am with thee." See Jeremiah eating the 
bread of adversity and drinking the waters 
of affliction in the depths of the dungeon. 
And yet, years before, he had received his 
commission directly from the mouth of the 
Lord: "I have set thee over the nations 
to root out and to destroy, to build and to 
plant. Be not afraid, for I am with thee to 
deliver thee." Of Paul Christ said, " I will 
show him how great things he must suffer 
for My name's sake." 

In each of these cases we find the affliction 
was the fire that consumed the barrier be- 
tween God and His chosen ones, so they 
found themselves in His unveiled presence, 
ready to take in the larger revelations of His 
love, and to behold new and delightful vi- 
sions of His glory. 

The divine call to service may be clarion, 
but the call to suffering comes in tender and 
compassionate tones, and often brings to 
the stricken heart the sweetest whispers of 



"CHOSEN" 17 

the Father's love; but we must listen if we 
would understand. We must not entrench 
ourselves in our sorrow, so as to leave no 
open door for Him to enter with His healing 
and comforting balm. This "furnace of 
affliction " is a suffering which means blessed 
fellowship with Christ. If we will but open 
our eyes, we shall see, walking in the midst 
of our furnace, one like unto the Son of 
Man ; and it will be a memory of joy ever 
after, that our loving Saviour was by our 
side, Himself a partaker of our grief. "O 
Thou that still dwellest amid the fires of 
human suffering, and still knowest by sym- 
pathy, the sorrows of Thy people, I bless 
Thee for the mystery of pain that unites 
me forever to the heart of the Man of Sor- 
rows." 

But God will not keep His "chosen" in 
the furnace forever. " When He hath tried 
me I shall come forth as gold." It was the 
breaking of the alabaster box that diffused 
its fragrance. So when the heart is crushed 
with sorrow, it yields its richest chalice of 
love; and the peace of God flows in like 



18 "CHOSEN" 

a river — blessed peace that is born of 
pain! 

Again, in a peculiarly beautiful sense, it 
may be said of some, they have been " cho- 
sen" (in Christ's words) "to be with Me 
where I am, that they may behold My 
glory." Could language be made to express 
better the Saviour's yearning desire for the 
personal presence of His beloved— " With 
Me/" 

" It was not that our love was cold : 

That earthly lights were burning dim ; 
But that the Shepherd from His fold 
Had smiled, and drawn them unto Him. 

" Praise God, the Shepherd is so sweet ! 
Praise God, the country is so fair ! 
We could not hold them from His feet, 
We can but haste to meet them there." 

As we are permitted to contemplate their 
happy estate in that land that is not far 
away, our hearts beat with sacred emotion, 
and we would fain 

** Count sorrow sweet, 
And pain a crown for their dear sakes." 

When the Good Shepherd at last leads 



" CHOSEN " 19 

His ransomed flock to pastures ever green, 
and waters ever still, may we, too, be found 
among His faithful "chosen" ones who 
shall inherit the kingdom. 



Thou Shalt be a Blessing " 



ONE of the sweetest assurances in the 
Bible was given to Abraham when 
God said to him, ' ' Thou shalt be a blessing. " 
No doubt these words fell on his surprised 
ear like a strain of heavenly music, suggest- 
ing to him new and unexplored avenues of 
joyful service, which he could then but 
little understand. Happy man! we say, to 
receive such honor from God. But so 
broad is the principle embodied in these 
words, as it runs through the entire Scrip- 
tures, we must believe this divine endow- 
ment is for any and all who will have it — 
not great men only, but the humble as well. 
Abraham, it is true, was a great man, but 
it was his being a blessing that made him 
great. So it is always ; goodness in action 
is greatness. 
Now as St. Paul counsels us to "covet 



"A BLESSING" 21 

earnestly the best gifts," it is a worthy as- 
piration for any one to rise to this blessed 
attainment. With such a prize set before 
us, who will be slow to ask, How can it be 
won? 

Certainly not by entrenching ourselves in 
our own snug and comfortable surround- 
ings, and failing to "look also on the 
things of others " ; neither by setting our- 
selves up for the praise and admiration of 
those who stand by and behold our good 
works; but only as we have the true spirit 
of Him who is the world's Great Blessing, 
of Him who, " though He was rich, yet for 
your sakes He became poor, that ye through 
His poverty might be rich"; " Who came 
not to be ministered unto, but to minister." 

It costs something, then, to be a blessing! 
Yes, it cost our dear Saviour His life of toil 
on earth, and His death on the cross. It 
cost Abraham the leaving his country and 
kindred and home, and his going out, not 
knowing whither he went. It always costs 
to do good; it is at some sacrifice to one's 
self. 



22 "A BLESSING" 

But oh, the glorious compensations ! Our 
Saviour says, "Love, . . . bless, ... do 
good, . . . and pray for" others, "that ye 
may be the children of your Father which 
is in heaven." St. Paul says, "Charge 
them that they be rich in good works, 
ready to distribute, willing to communicate, 
laying up in store for themselves a good 
foundation against the time to come." And 
our Lord assures us that no one who has 
made any real sacrifice for His sake, but 
" shall receive manifold more in this present 
time, and in the world to come life ever- 
lasting." 

A mother asked her little girl to carry a 
bouquet to a sick friend. She started off 
playfully saying, " I shall get the best of 
it." All the perfume and beauty of color 
were hers while she carried it. Like the 
child, we always have the best of it when 
we do another a kindness — the pleasure we 
give comes back to us like the fragrance of 
the flowers. 

But notice, God first said to Abraham, 
"I will bless thee"; after that, "Thou 



"A BLESSING" 23 

shalt be a blessing." Would we know the 
blessing of all blessings which alone can fit 
us for this high commission ? It is the love 
of Christ in our souls, killing out every 
root of bitterness, transforming the iron of 
our nature into gold, softening the hardness 
and converting it into generous love and 
considerateness for others. When this 
precious love of Christ constrains us, there 
is no limit to what God will help us to be 
to others. 

In this day of Christian Endeavor here is 
ample scope for the best powers of the 
young people. One need not wait till he is 
older, nor for larger experience, but just 
here and just now he may begin. 

u The least flower with a brimming cup may stand, 
And share its dewdrop with another near." 

There is not a day of our existence that 
does not bring us in contact with other 
lives that need something we have to give. 
If that is withheld it leaves some life un- 
blest. Opportunities that are waiting for 
us embrace the whole wide range of life 



24 "A BLESSING" 

and work, and take in all the relationships 
of home and business and pleasure. 

What a wonderful power is this which 
God is ready to confer upon us when He 
first blesses us, and then sends us forth to 
be a blessing! 

A PRAYER 

Heavenly Father, wilt Thou bestow upon 
me the power of Thy Holy Spirit, that I may 
be the channel of blessing to others. I 
thank Thee that Thou did 'st count me faith- 
ful, appointing me to Thy service. May I 
not disappoint Thee. 

Dear Lord, Thou knowest that Hove Thee, 
and long to show my love in some way that 
is pleasing to Thee. If it shall be by active 
efforts, help me in them; if it shall be by 
waiting, help me to wait in silence at Thy 
feet; if it be by loss and bereavement, help 
me to cling to Thee, from whom I can never 
be separated, and in whom all fullness 
dwells. Thus wilt Thou bless me and 
make me a blessing. 

And all the praise shall be Thine. 

Amen. 



Christian Restfulness 



" Upon Thy Word I rest, 
So strong, so sure ; 
So full of comfort blest t 
So sweet, so pure." 

IS it possible in this life ? And to whom 
is this grace given ? 

We find much in the Bible which shows 
it is a duty, and also a privilege, of the child 
of God. If a duty, it is plain we ought not 
to regard it as an impossibility; if it is a 
privilege, can we afford to miss it ? 

We see those about us who have happy 
homes, loving friends, healthy families, 
enough of this world's goods, and appar- 
ently few trials, and we say, These can 
"rest in the Lord and wait patiently for 
Him." 

We see others whose once happy homes 
are broken, whose hearts are bowed with 
sorrow, who have heavy burdens and daily 
25 



26 CHRISTIAN RESTFULNESS 

perplexing trials, and we say, Such as these 
cannot rest in the Lord; they must be 
anxious and worried much of the time. 
How is it possible when their dearest earthly 
hopes perish, and many things turn out so 
contrary to their expectations ? When their 
best endeavors seem to fail, and their prayers 
remain unanswered ? 

This sounds reasonable, and has a grain 
of truth in it, yet it is not all, by any means. 
We must remember this is Christian rest- 
fulness we are speaking of, and it is not de- 
pendent upon outward circumstances or 
surroundings. It is true, these may aid or 
hinder the exercise of it, and often do, but 
they are not the criterion. 

We may rightly believe it is attainable in 
some degree by every child of God, how- 
ever he may be situated or surrounded. 
On the other hand, it is not promised to the 
people of the world, even if everything 
moves to their mind and no present trials 
assail them. None but the followers of 
Christ can understand or have it. It is the 
blessed " secret" between them and their 



CHRISTIAN RESTFULNESS 27 

God. "We which have believed do enter 
into rest." Believed what? Believed 
God's Word, which is given us for our sup- 
port under trial, for our deliverance in times 
of temptation, for our comfort in affliction, 
our cheer in discouragement, our guidance 
in perplexity, and for assurance of forgiven 
sin and hope of eternal life; believed that 
the promises concerning this life and the life 
to come are really true. So the condition 
of entering into this restfulness is faith — 
faith in God, the unchanging One, the faith- 
ful, covenant-keeping One — faith in Him, 
though we do not see how He is working. 
This rest will be imperfect so long as we 
are in the world, the same as our love is 
imperfect and our other Christian virtues, 
but it is a grace that may be cultivated, and 
God gives us all the means necessary for it. 
It is a plant often of slow growth, because 
we take so little pains in its culture. But it 
is important that we get it well rooted in 
our hearts, so that we shall not be over- 
come by the winds and storms that are sure 
to come. 



« 



28 CHRISTIAN RESTFULNESS 

It makes a great deal of difference whether 
we dwell continuously on our personal dis- 
tresses and hardships, or upon God's en- 
couragements and promises of help. There 
is probably enough that is adverse in every 
one's life, if allowed the uppermost place in 
the thoughts, to shut out the light of the sun 
and keep one in a perpetual state of dark- 
ness. We do sometimes meet those who 
will see only their trials; who refuse to 
admit there is any bright side; who wonder 
why it is that they have so much more to 
bear than others, forgetting that every heart 
knoweth his own bitterness. You try to 
lift them up and turn their thoughts into a 
clearer channel, and they think you do not 
understand, and are cold and unsympathetic. 
You remind them that the Lord is pledged 
to help and support and comfort them ac- 
cording to their need, and they say, "I sup- 
pose so, but," — as if there were something 
exceptional in their case. If this is ever 
true of Christians, how dishonoring to the 
Saviour whose name they bear ! How He 
is wounded in the house of His friends ! 



CHRISTIAN RESTFULNESS 29 

Paul was able to say, with reference to 
the ills and calamities of life, "None of 
these things move me." Surely, his restful- 
ness of spirit did not depend upon his 
earthly surroundings, for he suffered perse- 
cution and trial more than commonly falls 
to the lot of man. He gives us his secret; 
it is this : "By the grace of God I am what 
I am." Let St. Paul be our teacher, for it is 
he who has also said, " We are troubled on 
every side, yet not distressed; we are per- 
plexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but 
not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." 

Listen to one of the real helps he gives 
us in attaining this Christian restfulness: 
''Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever 
things are honest, . . . just, . . . pure, 
. . . lovely, ... of good report; think 
on these things." Think on them. Think 
on them; not on our troubles. Fill our 
minds with them; dwell on them; talk 
about them till we get the sweetness and 
comfort out of them, and can call them 
our own. Think on them, till we can hear 
the divine whispers to our soul from the 



30 CHRISTIAN RESTFULNESS 

open heavens: " Cast thy burden upon the 
Lord, and He shall sustain thee." "The 
Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you and 
keep you from evil." " Let not your heart 
be troubled." Oh, how much we need the 
consolation that these words bring! There 
is so much struggle in life! So many tears 
shed! So much sorrow mingled with the 
joy! So many saying in the morning, 
"Would God it were even!" and at even, 
"Would God it were morning!" But all 
the while the pitying Saviour is yearning to 
comfort His children, and pour the oil of 
His love and tenderness into their wounded 
hearts. "Come unto Me, and I will give 
you rest." 

We need to come to this fountain as often 
as we can; and, indeed, to live by it as con- 
stantly as we can. " This is the rest where- 
with ye may cause the weary to rest, and 
this is the refreshing." 

" Resting on the faithfulness of Christ our Lord ; 
Resting on the fullness of His own sure Word ; 
Resting on His power, on His love untold; 
Resting on His covenant secured of old. 



CHRISTIAN RESTFULNESS 31 

" Resting in the pastures, and beneath the rock ; 
Resting by the waters where He leads His flock ; 
Resting, while we listen, at His glorious feet; 
Resting in His very arms ! — Oh, rest complete! " 

We shall find this fountain so rich and 
inexhaustible, and its support and nourish- 
ment so strengthening, we shall grow 
strong to bear, and come to feel as Paul 
did, that "the sufferings of this present 
time are not worthy to be compared with 
the glory that shall be revealed in us." 

In the meantime the tempests may be 
roaring about us, and the angry billows 
tossing our ship, but we shall find there is 
always a refuge for us in the upper calm, 
where we are sweetly sheltered in God's 
love and care. 

A PRAYER. 
Dear Lord, I rejoice in Thy gracious as- 
surance that Thou wilt supply all my need ; 
so that I may rest in confidence upon Thee, 
for all the future of my life, and for the 
solemn hour of my death also, — knowing 
that Thou wilt disarm me of all fear, if my 
trust in Thee remains unshaken. 



32 CHRISTIAN RESTFULNESS 

Oh, give me that calm and peace which 
come from the assured confidence that my 
Saviour abides with me; and help me to 
honor Thee by my faith. Keep me, I pray 
Thee, from dishonoring Thee by groundless 
fears and anxieties ; and perfect my trust 
in Thee, In Christ's name. 

Amen. 



Salutations 



A GREAT share of the intercourse of 
people one with another in this busy 
age, consists in mere salutations. Outside 
of one's own family, frequently whole days 
pass, and little is spoken except the com- 
monplace greetings by the majority of peo- 
ple in active life. Each, intent on his own 
affairs, finds little time for extended con- 
versation with others. Many who would 
enjoy an interchange of views on weighty 
and vital subjects feel obliged to forego that 
pleasure through a press of duties, and to 
content themselves with a handshake and a 
word as they meet, while they look forward 
to the leisure that never comes. 

But a deeper and more lasting impression 
is often made in that brief moment than we 
are apt to think. We are greeted by a 
friend in the morning in a way to receive 

33 



34 SALUTATIONS 

almost unconsciously an uplift and cheer 
that colors the whole day, and makes 
everything we do seem brighter and easier 
in the doing. We are met by another in a 
way to receive a chill that we do not get 
over till the sun has set and another day has 
dawned. There are those who do not need 
to sit down by us an hour in order to assure 
us of their love and interest; we see it at a 
glance; the first sentence they speak tells it 
all; the salutation they give is enough; it 
satisfies and fills us, and we pass along 
happier than we should have been without 
it. It is a matter of some importance then, 
"what manner of salutation" ours shall 
be. Granting that in spirit it is intended to 
be friendly, even then it makes a difference 
what words we use. 

It is interesting to observe the forms of 
salutation in the early times. They were 
various forms of blessing, such as, "The 
blessing of the Lord be upon you! " " God 
be gracious unto thee ! " The Hebrew word 
"salute" means "bless." 

A beautiful picture is drawn of the meet- 



SALUTATIONS 35 

ing of Moses and his father-in-law in the 
wilderness. As they came near, it is said 
"they asked each other of their peace." 
It might have been in the very words in 
which the king of Judah saluted Jehu, "Is 
it peace ? " A very unique salutation is as- 
cribed to Jehu as he approached Jehonadab: 
"Is thine heart right, as my heart is with 
thy heart? If it be, give me thine hand." 
Boaz saluted Ruth: "Blessed be thou of 
the Lord! " And the salutation of this man 
of position and wealth to his reapers, his 
inferiors, his workmen, was in these 
words: "The Lord be with you!" to 
which they respectfully replied: "The 
Lord bless thee! " 

The salute of the Persians was founded 
upon the idea of personal exaltation. 
" How is the state of thine honor ? " " May 
thy horn be lifted up." Their monarch 
was never approached without the saluta- 
tion: "O king, live forever!" The salute 
of the ancient Romans, we are told, like 
their institutions and manners, was based 
upon the idea of physical strength. 



36 SALUTATIONS 

"Salve"—" Vale."— Be healthy, Be strong. 

When we notice the form of salutation 
with which our Saviour was accustomed to 
greet His disciples, we are specially im- 
pressed with its beauty and grace: " Peace 
be unto you!" Occasionally it was re- 
peated twice during the same interview, as 
if the heart of their loving Lord could not 
be restrained by any conventional rules of 
propriety, but must give expression, again 
and again, to His yearning desire for them : 
"Peace be unto you ! " 

The ancient Oriental custom of wayside 
salutations, as at the present day, was tedi- 
ous and burdensome, because of the time it 
consumed. It consisted in genuflections 
and prostrations of the body, accompanied 
with oft-repeated words and phrases; and 
this, not once nor twice a day, but as often 
as people met in ordinary intercourse. 
Consequently it was not without reason, 
that when our Lord sent forth His seventy 
disciples on their first mission He said to 
them : " Salute no man by the way." Their 
time was too precious to be wasted on un- 



SALUTATIONS 37 

necessary and meaningless ceremonies. 
But it was by no means the thought of 
Christ to do away with all salutation, for 
He went on to say, "Into whatsoever 
house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this 
house." Is it not a significant fact that 
Christ considered it of sufficient impor- 
tance, not to leave His disciples in doubt as 
to a good and fitting form of salutation? 
At one time He taught them how to ap- 
proach their Heavenly Father in prayer. 
He now taught them how to approach their 
brethren in Christian intercourse. 

It is in accord with the spirit of our 
Saviour's example and teaching, that we 
find among the opening words of every 
one of Paul's Epistles (excepting that to the 
Hebrews) this salutation: "Grace be unto 
you, and peace, from God our Father, and 
from the Lord Jesus Christ." It is repeated 
no less than thirteen times in thirteen suc- 
cessive letters, almost word for word the 
same. If Paul was so much in the habit of 
writing this salutation, may we not believe 
these very words often rose to his lips as 



38 SALUTATIONS 

he greeted his friends face to face ? If so, 
how glad they must have been to see him 
coming! What a benediction awaited 
them ! One whole chapter in the Epistle to 
the Romans is taken up with salutations. 
A long procession of the friends of Paul 
passes before him, each one in turn receiv- 
ing his personal Christian greeting; Priscilla 
and Aquila, and Urbane and Philologus and 
Julia and the beloved Persis, and so on — 
twenty-seven of them whose names are 
mentioned, besides the mothers and sisters 
and households of these, a multitude more 
whose names are not given. In like man- 
ner Peter was wont to say, "Grace and 
peace be multiplied unto you." John and 
Jude also used expressions very similar. 

As we come down to modern times, 
what a contrast do we find in the manner 
of salutation in common use even among 
Christian people 1 And we naturally ques- 
tion why were these ancient and beautiful 
forms suffered to fall into disuse. Certainly 
not because those that were substituted are 
better. Imagine, if you can, Paul greeting 



SALUTATIONS 39 

a friend on the street with "How do you 
do ? " or Peter grasping the hand of a fel- 
low-companion with "How are you?" 
Would you not feel that these Christian 
disciples had lost much of their old power 
for communicating blessing ? that the rich 
flavor of the Christ-love in them had gone, 
and the charm of meeting and greeting, 
once so sweet, had vanished ? 

Some may say those Bible expressions 
are not suitable for our day — they are too 
religious. But there was a secular side to 
life then, as now. Christ was a carpenter's 
son, and Paul was a tent-maker, and 
Martha kept house, and Peter was a fisher- 
man; and yet our Lord said, "Into what- 
soever house ye enter, first say, Peace," 
etc. Why not now ? For years we have 
thrust upon our friends the commonplace 
and worn-out "How do you do?" till it 
means little or nothing. At best it has 
come to refer almost exclusively to one's 
physical condition. If we are on our way 
to the Heavenly Canaan, why not begin to 
use the language of that country, and to 



40 SALUTATIONS 

express, to our Christian friends at least, 
our aspirations for their spiritual welfare, as 
we meet ? Peace be unto you ! Think what 
a genial and refining influence would ac- 
company such words as these, spoken in 
the spirit of Christ, even now! They 
would seem to create a kind of heavenly 
atmosphere in which nothing unkind or 
impure could find a place. What a check 
they would be upon much of the ordinary 
conversation we hear regarding the mis- 
takes and follies of those about us. How 
they would tend to disarm us of the spirit 
of criticism and fault-finding, and melt us 
into sympathy and oneness! Is it not plain 
they would bespeak a higher and holier be- 
stowment than the "Hail" of the ancient 
Greek, or the heartless "How are you?" 
of the modern American ? 

We do not forget that our " Good-morn- 
ing," so common, often conveys, and may 
always be made to convey, a heart-felt 
blessing. It may express our sincere wish 
that good and only good may come to one 
another. Can we not make it more hearty 



SALUTATIONS 41 

and real, and speak it in a way to have it 
mean something ? — a true Christian saluta- 
tion which shall lift the hearts of those we 
address up into the love of our Heavenly 
Father, from whom cometh every good. 

Our greetings should be benedictions, and 
leave the grateful impression of such. They 
should be made to express kindness and 
good-will. The memory of them would 
fill the heart with gladness all the day. 
Surely there is no one who is not privileged 
to greet the acquaintance or friend with a 
cheerful smile and a bow of kind recogni- 
tion which will be a salutation of fellow- 
ship, though no word is spoken. "The 
golden sun salutes the morn," and light 
bursts upon the whole universe. So our 
very look of brightness, though silent, may 
be "a song without words," a greeting 
which shall be felt. Those we meet are op- 
pressed with cares and anxieties, with fears 
or self-distrust. They, conscious of faults, 
perhaps, or mortified by failures — smart- 
ing, it may be, over remembered slights 
and wrongs, are in a state of mind to be 



4 2 



SALUTATIONS 



greatly affected by our lightest word, our 
every look. Our words may bring peace 
or additional anguish to a heart already 
over-laden; our look, relief or new heavi- 
ness of soul. 

In view of these things, may we not re- 
gard our salutations as one of the special 
means God has put into our hands with 
which to communicate blessing ? Is it too 
much to say it is a talent given us to culti- 
vate, for the use or abuse of which we shall 
be called to account ? 



Wayside Ministries 

(A BIBLE READING) 



LUKE 19: 1-10. — These few verses con- 
tain an incident in the life of our Lord 
with which we are all familiar, but before 
we come to the incident itself we find a most 
instructive lesson. We read, "Jesus entered 
and passed through Jericho. " He was pass- 
ing through. It was not His purpose to 
stop there; He was aiming at another desti- 
nation. But he was detained, and the result 
we have in the account that follows. 

Many of our Lord's important works may 
be termed wayside ministries. As He was 
going from one place to another, He often 
lingered wherever He saw an opportunity to 
bless or cheer a human being. Sometimes 
He ministered to the body, sometimes to 
the soul. In this He gave a beautiful ex- 
ample to us. Every day, everywhere, if 
43 



44 WAYSIDE MINISTRIES 

we have the spirit of Him who went about 
doing good, opportunities will open, when 
God will use us in ways we little 
dreamed of. It may be only a word, a 
touch, and some heart will be uplifted and 
blessed, just because we chanced to be pass- 
ing that way. 

There is more in this than we think. 
Paul said, "For me to live is Christ." 
Wherever he went, men could see Christ in 
his conduct and bearing. 

It is related of St. Francis that, one day, 
as he stepped down into the cloisters of his 
monastery, he said to a young monk: 
"Brother, let us go into town to-day and 
preach." So they went forth, conversing 
together as they went. They wound their 
way along the principal streets, through the 
lowly alleys, to the outskirts of the town, 
and to the village beyond. Returning to 
the monastery gate, the young monk said : 
" Father, when shall we begin to preach ? " 
Francis, looking down kindly upon the 
young man, replied: "My child, we have 
been preaching while we were walking. 



WAYSIDE MINISTRIES 45 

We have been seen, looked at, our behavior 
has been remarked, and so we have deliv- 
ered a morning sermon." 

Turning now to the narrative recorded in 
the remaining verses, we find the story of a 
simple conversion. We learn much in the 
Gospels from Christ's dealings with the 
multitudes; but when we carefully note His 
dealings with an individual, we seem to 
draw nearer to Him ourselves, and can more 
easily understand the personal touch of our 
Lord. 

The scene here described is an ordinary 
one, in many respects, yet in others a rare 
and conspicuous one. As Jesus was passing 
along, a crowd of curious spectators had 
gathered, made up probably of scribes and 
Pharisees and lawyers, a class who on other 
occasions had criticised Him because He 
mingled with the common people. Our at- 
tention is suddenly directed to one person. 
"Behold a man." Let us look carefully, 
and see what we can learn about him. 

His name is Zaccheus. He is spoken of 
as " chief among the publicans." Jericho 



46 WAYSIDE MINISTRIES 

was a Levitical city and the residence of a 
great many priests. Its position in the im- 
port and export trade between the two sides 
of the Jordan made it also a city of publi- 
cans. The collection of taxes required a 
strong force of workmen to be stationed 
there. Zaccheus probably stood at the head 
of such a force. He was a rich man. Rich 
people were not, as a rule, those that fol- 
lowed Christ. Here was an exception. 
Christ had lately shown how hard it was 
for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of 
heaven. 

It does not appear that Zaccheus had pre- 
viously any serious concern for religious 
truth; but, having heard of this wonderful 
man, and the marvels He had accomplished, 
he was now moved with curiosity to see 
Him. So he ran before and climbed up into 
a sycamore-tree, for he was little of stature 
and could not see over the shoulders of 
others. Very likely others in this crowd 
had this same curiosity, but Zaccheus was 
more in earnest than the rest, and his zeal 
met with a quick reward. 



WAYSIDE MINISTRIES 47 

Jesus did not ordinarily study to show 
Himself — was not carried aloft in a proces- 
sion as some dignitaries have been. He 
did not ride in an open chariot as princes 
do ; but, like any common man, He walked 
among men. It was the day of His humil- 
iation. 

At the same time, He was always found of 
them that sought Him. 

Zaccheus was not more alert to see Christ, 
than Christ was to see Zaccheus; for he had 
no sooner gained his place of view, than 
Christ's eye searched him out. 

We read that, " When Jesus came to the 
place, He looked up, and saw him." 

What, do you suppose, were Christ's 
thoughts just then ? Perhaps He was think- 
ing, There is a soul that is seeking Me! — he 
has this world's goods in abundance, and 
position among men; but these things do 
not satisfy him; he is restless, and craves 
something higher and more enduring; — his 
spiritual nature is hungry; — he hardly 
knows what he wants, but / know, and I 
have that to give him that the world knows 



48 WAYSIDE MINISTRIES 

not of. I believe I will stay awhile here in 
Jericho on his account. I will go to his 
house and meet him alone. Apart from the 
crowd, he will open his heart to Me, and 
be ready to receive from Me the spiritual 
manna, of which, if a man eat, he shall 
never hunger. 

And so Christ said to him, " Zaccheus, 
make haste and come down, for to-day I 
must abide at thy house." 

Imagine his surprise at hearing Jesus call 
him by name! He might have answered, 
as Nathaniel did, "Whence knowest Thou 
me?" Oh, but the Lord knoweth them 
that are His! 

11 Zaccheus made haste and came down 
and received Him joy fully ." Here was the 
beginning of his conversion. St. John 
writes : " As many as received Him, to them 
gave He power to become the sons of God." 

Oh, to have heard all that passed between 
them as they talked together that day! 
We read that, " Zaccheus stood and said 
unto the Lord" etc. He did not carelessly 
recline upon his couch, as he might have 



WAYSIDE MINISTRIES 49 

done in the presence of an equal, but his at- 
titude was humble and reverent. A single 
verse contains all that he said, — but what a 
volume is there! "Behold, Lord, the half 
of my goods I give to the poor," — not will I 
give in my will, when I die, but I give now. 
Possibly he had heard about the directions 
Christ gave another rich young man, to sell 
that he had and give to the poor, and how 
he went away sorrowful. So he was say- 
ing to himself, Such shall not be my case. 
If I have been selfishly hoarding my riches, 
unmindful of those less favored about me, 
I will give all the more freely now. I will 
give half of all I possess! 

This was a very large proportion for 
benevolence. Can we easily find a parallel 
to-day ? Many probably feel if they give a 
tenth to the Lord, that they have met the 
requirements of duty; but Zaccheus went 
still further. He said, " If I have taken 
anything from any man by false accusation, 
I restore him fourfold."— Hq did not say, 
If I am sued at law and compelled to do it, 
but I will do it voluntarily. 



So WAYSIDE MINISTRIES 

What was Jesus' reply to these words of 
Zaccheus ? " This day is salvation come to 
this house." He did not ask him if he was 
penitent for his sins;— if he was submissive 
to His will; — if he loved Him, even. Look- 
ing into his heart, however, he could see 
all this and more. The Christian graces 
show themselves differently in different 
people. With some, love is more promi- 
nent; with others, faith or penitence. 
With Zaccheus, it was the grace of benevo- 
lence. It has been said that a man's purse 
is the last thing to be converted. With 
Zaccheus, it was the first. 

Christ finds many avenues to the heart, 
and it is well to keep them all open. But 
we cannot lay too much stress upon this 
grace of benevolence. It is interesting to 
notice how Paul magnified it when he held 
up the Macedonian churches as examples to 
the Christians at Corinth. " We make 
known to you the grace of God bestowed on 
the churches of Macedonia, how that in a 
great trial of affliction, the abundance of 
their joy and their deep poverty abounded 



WAYSIDE MINISTRIES 51 

unto the riches of their liberality" (2 Cor. 
8: 1-4). Then, by way of incentive, he 
says to them: " Therefore, as ye abound in 
everything, in faith and utterance and 
knowledge, . . . see that ye abound in this 
grace also." "See," or see to it. As if he 
had said: "This will never come about of 
itself; it will require careful planning. See 
to it; do not let the matter drift." 

But this is not all. He adds (9: 8), " God 
is able to make all grace abound toward 
you ; that ye, always having all sufficiency 
in all things, may abound to every good 
work." He implies that this grace of be- 
nevolence does not depend upon our efforts 
alone. God must give it to us, and make 
it abound. It is a gift of God, as truly as 
faith, or love. 

Was it an act of self-denial on the part 
of Zaccheus to give up half his goods ? Of 
course it was. To be sure, he was rich, 
and might have had enough left to make 
him comfortable; nevertheless, like other 
rich men, no doubt he loved his money, 
and hated to part with it. But he had 



52 WAYSIDE MINISTRIES 

caught the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who, "though He was rich, yet for your 
sahes He became poor, that ye through His 
poverty might be rich." 

He was learning to exercise this Christ- 
like grace of benevolence. 

"True giving is not the throwing away 
of that which we do not want and shall 
never miss. But it is the consecrating to 
noble uses that which is very dear to us, 
that which has cost us much." 

What we wait for, dear friends, and are 
looking hopefully to see, is the consecration 
of the vast money-power of the world to 
the work, and cause, and kingdom of Jesus 
Christ. God grant we may each have a 
part in bringing this about, both by word 
and by example ! 

A PRAYER. 

Help us, dear Lord, to lay the great and 
important interests of Thy Kingdom on our 
hearts, and constrain us to put forth all 
our energies to advance them. Forbid that 
any of us should fritter away our God- 



WAYSIDE MINISTRIES 53 

given opportunities of usefulness, and find 
no time left for Thee and Thy work. 

Help us to choose the highest and best 
things, and ever be ready to sacrifice the 
lesser things, for Thy sake. Give us the 
same desires that are in Thine own heart, 
and the same yearnings over those that are 
in darkness and sin. Make us strong for 
Thy service, and patient in the toils and 
responsibilities of life. 

Amen. 



The " North Wind ,, and the 
"South Wind" 



SOLOMON, we learn, was the author of 
one thousand and five songs; but, so 
far as we know, only one of them has been 
preserved. We could wish we had them 
all. What a volume they would make! 
And how gladly we would give it a place 
in our libraries! 

We do not know what variety of themes 
he treated in his many songs, nor what the 
character of the music was; but, if we 
think a moment, we are not surprised that 
this one song which we have, has been 
given the honored place among them all, 
and is called "The Song of Songs." And 
why ? We may imagine some of these 
songs were songs of mirth, some of gaiety 
or pleasure, some of pathos and subdued 
grief, some commemorative of public and 
important events; but this one treats of 

54 



THE "NORTH WIND" 55 

what has been rightly termed, "The great- 
est thing in the world — Love," and em- 
braces in its scope, both divine and human 
love. 

The author uses the figure of "bride- 
groom" and "bride," which suggests to us 
the most endearing of all human relations, 
to represent the mutual love of Christ and 
His church. So, although written long 
ages ago, this song has its inspiration for 
us now, who are trusting and following 
Him as our Saviour. 

The love Christ ever bears His redeemed 
ones is perfect in kind and in degree, and 
lacks nothing; yet it is evident that it is not 
satisfied until it meets a real and hearty re- 
sponse. His infinite being yearns for an 
interchange of His divine love with our 
human love; and it is apparent that when 
this longed-for response is given, His heart 
is filled with a joy which nothing can 
abate. "The Lord taketh pleasure in His 
people." "The Lord will rejoice over 
thee with joy; He will joy over thee with 
singing." 



56 THE "NORTH WIND" 

In this song, the church of Christ is sym- 
bolized by a garden, wherein are all manner 
of choice flowers and fruits and spices, 
good to the taste, and fragrant in perfume. 
"A garden enclosed is my bride." This 
may perhaps suggest also, the tender 
guarding from every harm or intrusion and 
the wise and loving care which Christ be- 
stows upon His saints. "He knoweth 
them all by name." "Not one of them is 
forgotten." "The sun shall not smite thee 
by day, nor the moon by night." "The 
Lord shall preserve thee from all evil." 
Such is the expressed devotion of this great 
heart of love! 

Into this garden the bride invites her 
bridegroom. "Let my beloved come into 
His garden and eat His pleasant fruits." 
And the response is heard, "I am come 
into my garden, my bride — to see whether 
the vines flourish and the pomegranates 
bud." 

If we study this song carefully just here, 
we shall see we have passed by a very im- 
portant feature, and one of vital significance 



THE "NORTH WIND" 57 

as we consider its application to our own 
lives; and that is, the apparent conscious- 
ness, on part of the bride, of a preparation 
necessary before receiving her bridegroom. 
This is brought out in her exclamation, 
"Awake, O north wind, and come thou 
south, and blow upon my garden, that the 
spices thereof may flow out." These 
words are very pregnant, and reveal an es- 
sential truth which bears equally upon the 
life of a garden and the life of a child of 
God. The spices which give forth their 
fragrance in the natural garden, typify the 
graces of the Holy Spirit in the soul, with- 
out which, the soul remains barren and 
fruitless. In the natural world the south 
wind, with its softness and grace, is not the 
only breeze necessary to favor growth and 
vitality. The north wind, with its health- 
ful strength and ruggedness, must have its 
play, in turn, to invigorate and vitalize the 
otherwise enfeebled life. So with the child 
of God. 

We almost instinctively crave indulgence 
in the things that are pleasant and desira- 



58 THE "NORTH WIND" 

ble; but our Heavenly Father sometimes 
sees that severer measures are needful; that 
disciplines and vicissitudes must have their 
place, in order to start the spiritual fruits 
into life. Then, for a time, the mild, in- 
dulgent south wind is stayed, and the north 
wind of grief, and affliction, and loss, and 
loneliness, is made to blow, that the spices 
of love, joy and peace, of submission and 
trust, may flow out. 

"Sometimes tears are best. God sends 
them as mercifully as dew or rain. . . . 
But with those who truly trust Him, the 
sorrows that are bitterest are transformed 
into joys that are sweetest. Where there is 
faith in God, there are no wasted griefs or 
sorrows; they will all appear in the great 
hereafter, as odors in the golden vials under 
Jehovah's throne." 

Disciplines rightly borne bring the sub- 
missive, trusting soul into an attitude which 
is honoring to God, and which insures His 
loving approval. To all such of His chil- 
dren, He reveals Himself in rich measure, 
as their all-tender Father, and Comforter, 



THE "NORTH WIND" 59 

and Friend, yearning over them in love, 
raising up those that are bowed down, and 
giving the garment of praise for the spirit 
of heaviness. 

If we are conscious that we have not yet 
attained the high point in our heavenward 
career, where we can, from the heart, pray, 
"Awake, O north wind, and blow upon 
my garden," can we not, by His grace, say, 
"Send what is best, O Lord," "Thy will 
be done." 

A Christian poet has beautifully expressed 
the sweet repose of the child of God, who 
has a comforting vision of the brighter 
world beyond, where all tears are wiped 
away, and the eternal glories appear just in 
sight. 

" When earthly voices, once so dear, 
Have died in silence, one by one, 
Till I am left to mourn them here, 
With empty heart, and all alone ; 
Yet have I peace, and can rejoice, 
If I but hear the Master's voice, 
* A little while — wait patiently, 
A little while, and thou shalt be 
With thy beloved, and with Me.' " 



A Time to be Sick 



" Closer, my child, to Me, 
Closer to Me ! 
It is a Father's hand 
That chastens thee." 

I HAVE sometimes wondered why, in the 
wise man's enumeration of the events 
of human life— "a time to be born, a time 
to die " — etc., he did not include in the 
"times and seasons for every purpose un- 
der the heaven," this also — a time to be 
sick; for it rarely if ever happens that a 
person lives to years of maturity without 
experiencing some season of sickness. To 
be sure, it is not always so much God who 
sends illness as we who bring it on our- 
selves; indeed, much of the sickness in the 
world is the result of imprudence and dis- 
regard of laws of health. Many have yet 
to learn that it is more sinful to waste 

health than to waste money. Paul said to 
60 



A TIME TO BE SICK 61 

the Christians in Corinth, "Know ye not 
that your body is a temple of the Holy 
Ghost?" We remember how the sin of 
desecrating God's temple was regarded by 
His people of old. Is this temple of the 
Holy Ghost any less "holy" to-day? 
How scrupulously, then, we should guard 
and preserve it pure and undefiled, that it 
may be a fit dwelling for the Spirit of God. 
But the imprudent are not the only ones 
who suffer the infirmities of the flesh; the 
conscientious and painstaking in matters of 
health also are overtaken by sickness; it 
comes upon them as suddenly and un- 
looked for as an enemy in the dark. The 
poet sings, 

Life hath many a pleasant hour, 
Many a bright and cloudless day ; 

but he is not thinking of sickness, for upon 
whomsoever it comes, and in whatever 
form, it is a sharp-edged sword; to all 
alike it is the one unwelcome thing, and 
looked upon as a calamity. Of all earthly 
trials, it, perhaps, more than any other, 
searches into the innermost recesses of our 



62 A TIME TO BE SICK 

being. Satan showed pretty well his 
knowledge of human nature, when he said 
of Job, " Put forth Thine hand now and 
touch his bone and his flesh, and he will 
curse Thee to Thy face." 

None of us are ever ready for sickness. 
If we find ourselves, after a night of rest- 
lessness and tossing, shorn of our strength 
and unable to rise, we say: " I cannot stop 
to be sick! There is much unfinished work 
waiting for me, and plans which no one 
else can carry out. If I must be sick, let 
me have a day or two to clear up matters, 
and set my house in order! " But no — it is 
upon you, and it is useless to resist it. 
There is a time to be sick, and that time is 
now. Did you ever think it is the hand of 
God laid upon you ? 

All through the Scriptures "the hand of 
the Lord " is used to signify some special 
dealings of God with His servants, an im- 
portant commission to give, as in the case 
of Ezekiel, a revelation to make, as to Elijah, 
and elsewhere to impart strength or cour- 
age, or to reprove of sin. So now it would 



A TIME TO BE SICK 63 

seem that God lays His hand upon His 
children in order to speak things they would 
not hear except in the silence of the sick 
room. The voices of the world are loud 
and clamorous, and often drown the "still 
small voice." He now and then compels us 
against our will to listen. " He maketh me 
to lie down" He draws us nearer to Him- 
self that we may hear the whispers of His 
love, or the tenderer tones of rebuke and 
admonition. 

It is good at such a time to say with 
Samuel, "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant 
heareth" And, with David, " I will hear 
what God the Lord will speak" It is well 
to ask to understand the lesson He is trying 
to teach us. Christ said to His disciples, 
" Your Father knoweth what things ye have 
need of." The lessons learned in the school 
of suffering are blessed lessons, and some- 
times yield the choicest fruits in after life. 
When we have been ill our voice is softer, 
our step gentler, our hearts more tender 
and sympathizing, our prayers more sin- 
cere, and our outlook to the future more 



64 A TIME TO BE SICK 

earnest. The petty annoyances of every- 
day life which we have allowed to fret and 
worry us sink into insignificance, and we 
resolve to live henceforth with higher aims 
and nobler purposes in view. 

Many of God's dear children have passed 
through the valley of pain and suffering to 
the high table-lands of sweet peace and 
nearness to God, and even to the precious 
mount of exaltation where the melodies of 
heaven are almost heard — and afterwards 
been able to testify, " // is good for me that 
I have been afflicted." The refining fires 
have done their work, purging away the 
dross of selfishness and worldliness which 
so sadly hides the light of Christ, and bring- 
ing out the bright image of Him who sits as 
a refiner and purifier of His people. We 
should pray that such may be our case 
when God lays His hand upon us, and calls 
us apart to be with Him alone. 

Jesus on one occasion said, " This sick- 
ness is not unto death but for the glory of 
God." Here we learn one unmistakable 
design of sickness; it is that we may glorify 



A TIME TO BE SICK 65 

God in it. This we can do by manifesting 
His spirit and temper; by bearing our pain 
in patience and even thankfulness. 

It is a false notion we entertain, that when 
sick and laid aside from active duties we 
can do no good. It is the time of all others 
to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit — 
" love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, 
goodness, faith." Some of the most effect- 
ive sermons ever preached have been the 
silent ones from the sick-room, and that is 
often the one spot in the whole house 
where the presence of Christ is most 
blessedly felt — where the light shines the 
brightest — the place that is filled with the 
"odor of the ointment" of consecration 
and praise. Most lovingly the dear Lord 
comes to His waiting and suffering child to 
relieve the monotony and weariness, and to 
fill the hours of day with sweet thoughts 
of Him, who also giveth (( songs in the 
night" 

Sometimes the mind is too weak to think 
or pray. He exacts nothing from us then. 
As a mother folds her tired child to her 



66 A TIME TO BE SICK 

bosom, He gently puts underneath us His 
everlasting arms and bids us rest in Him. 

But sickness does not always change into 
health. This suggests reason for thought- 
fulness when God lays His hand upon us 
in sickness, for we do not know where it 
will end. It may lead to the eternal gate of 
light, and into that country where the in- 
habitant shall not say, " I am sick." If our 
life is hid with Christ in God, He will surely 
say to us then, "Be of good cheer, it is /, 
be not afraid." Thus He will give abiding 
confidence and hope, taking away all 
anxiety, and impart a quietness and repose 
that cannot be disturbed or broken. "For 
so He giveth His beloved sleep." 

"Alone, Yet Not Alone." 
Communion with God is a great comfort 
in times of loneliness. We may be sepa- 
rated from our dearest earthly friends, but 
we can never be separated from our best 
Friend; His sweet assurance comes, " Lo, I 
am with you alway." But communion 
means something more than presence. It 



A TIME TO BE SICK 67 

implies a confiding interchange of thought 
and feeling between our Lord and our- 
selves, a heart to heart conference together, 
in which we each have a part. We listen to 
" hear what God the Lord will speak," and, 
in turn, He waits for our words. If there is 
no response from us there can be no com- 
munion. God said to Moses, "I will come 
down and talk with thee." And the record 
stands, "The Lord spake with Moses face 
to face as a man speaketh with his friend." 
What could be more personal than this? 
Just as truly, we may speak with the Lord 
as we would with the most intimate friend, 
and He will hear the very words we utter. 
We may breathe into His ear our deepest 
longings and desires, our love and praises, 
our complaints even, and He will answer us 
in the joy of our heart. 

A PRAYER. 

O Lord, I have come into my closet and 
shut the door, that I may be alone with Thee 
for a little. O will Thou meet me and give 
me a sweet sense of Thy presence, and let me 



68 A TIME TO BE SICK 

know Thou art near to hear the petitions I 
bring Thee. I thank Thee for Thy love, so 
rich and abounding, which yearns over me 
unceasingly. I thank Thee for Thy tender 
sympathy, which reaches down to all the 
varying circumstances of my daily life, 
bringing needed help and peace. I thank 
Thee that Thou dost understand the de- 
sires and longings of my heart before I have 
ventured to express them in words, and that 
sometimes Thou dost answer before I call. 
Bless us in our home, and in the conduct of 
our family duties. Bless the dear children 
Thou hast given us, and lead them in unerr- 
ing ways of obedience and love, and hold 
them in right paths. May they love Thee 
and count Thee as their best Friend, and 
strive to please Thee in all they do, day by 
day. So may our entire household rejoice 
in Thee, and find it our supreme joy to fol- 
low Thee in ways of praise and service, for 
Christ's sake. Amen. 



Visiting The Sick 



OUR Saviour includes this among the 
special ways of serving Him : " Sick, 
and ye visited Me." 

Many Christians do a vast amount of 
good to Christ's sick and hidden ones by 
sending them kindly remembrances and 
portions from their own bounty; but we 
learn there is a more personal service 
which is pleasing to our Lord. "Pure 
religion ... is ... to visit." 

Sickness is often a time of depression and 
of loneliness. Instead of mingling with 
people as in times of health, one is shut in, 
apart and alone; — he misses the companion- 
ship of others; — time goes slowly; — he 
hears the clock tick. But a look into the 
face of a friend, a grasp of the hand, the 
music of a kindly voice, — these are worth 

more than a hundred messages sent, they are 
69 



70 VISITING THE SICK 

the very heart-beats of love. To them, the 
coming of a warm, sympathetic soul, in 
Christ's name, to minister comfort and con- 
solation, is like an angel's visit,— and if re- 
peated, it proves to be the one bright spot 
in the whole day, to which the invalid 
looks forward with happy anticipation and 
desire. 

Visiting the sick thus comes to be for us 
a very sacred mission, and well worth our 
study to know how wisely to do it. 

I. While we endeavor to cheer with 
bright words, we should be careful not to 
startle the sick, as we enter their rooms, with 
exclamations of surprise or alarm. A per- 
son once accosted his invalid friend, thus: 
" Why! you poor, picked chicken!" No 
doubt there was something in the wasted 
look of the sick one, that suggested such a 
comparison, but while playfully said and 
received, it was evident the words fell 
heavily upon the ears of the invalid, and 
dampened his faint hope of convalescence. 

II. It is important that we do not stay 
too long. Repeated calls of a few minutes 



VISITING THE SICK 71 

are better than a single one of an hour. A 
long visit is wearisome, while a brief one 
leaves the patient longing to have you come 
again. 

III. Carry something beautiful to look 
upon, — a flower, how it brightens! a little 
fruit, or some appetizing delicacy from your 
own kitchen, or whatever may conduce to 
the comfort, especially of those who sel- 
dom have these things. The " cup of cold 
water" is counted worthy of mention. 

But above all, do not fail to carry a smile, 
a cheerful word; and think to leave with 
them a promise from God's Book; — these 
are better than grapes or jelly. "A merry 
(joyous) heart is a good medicine." 
"Blessed are they that hear the Word of 
God." 

IV. If the patient is weak, do not ex- 
pect him to entertain you. The exertion of 
a sick person to make a visitor's call agree- 
able and pleasant, may so tax his little 
strength as to set him back in the scale of 
improvement a whole day. Such visits 
prove positively injurious. Be quick to dis- 



72 VISITING THE SICK 

cern whether he desires to talk himself, or 
to listen to you. If the first, be patient and 
let him unburden his troubles, and give him 
your sympathy in spirit, if not in words. 
Sometimes it is a better way just to keep 
still and give your ear to hear. On the 
other hand, do not encourage him to talk at 
length about his pains and aches. Do not 
try to draw him out on all these points ; 
this is the mission of the physician. The 
constant dwelling upon one's symptoms is 
demoralizing and depressing in its effects. 
It was mistaken kindness on the part of a 
mother even, who was once requested by 
the physician to make a mark on paper 
every time she asked her sick daughter how 
she was. To her astonishment at night she 
counted 109 marks. Moreover, there is an 
indelicacy in pressing questions upon a sick 
person regarding the nature of his sickness, 
which savors of curiosity instead of loving 
sympathy, and which often does more 
harm than good. Rather, if you have ac- 
cess to the sick room, let it be to help the 
sufferer to look up and away from himself. 



VISITING THE SICK 73 

Now and then you find those who enum- 
erate "among the compensations of sick- 
ness," as one invalid expressed it, "the 
pettings and coddlings and caresses of those 
nearest and dearest." Pity such ! for very 
want of self-respect. A selfish exhibition 
of mental and physical weakness! There 
is a way to influence the sick to be very 
weak and silly. How much better to gird 
them to bear their sickness bravely, and to 
learn the lessons of the discipline! 

V. If the patient shows a desire to listen 
to you, have something ready to say to him. 
Give him worthy thoughts to think over 
after you are gone. Suggest some of the 
benefits of sickness when rightly received. 
Speak of the encouraging features — home, 
comfortable room and bed, kind attention 
of friends, skillful physicians and remedies. 
Not always do you find all of these, but 
generally some of them. However great 
the discomforts, you can always see reasons 
for gratitude for mercies left. Refer to 
them. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and 
forget not all His benefits." 



74 VISITING THE SICK 

VI. Do not be afraid to speak a word for 
Christ in the sick-room. It is a mistaken 
notion which some physicians entertain, 
that all reference to God's dealings with His 
children must be scrupulously avoided for 
fear the patient will take alarm, and con- 
clude his case is hopeless. Happily this is 
not true of Christian physicians; they know 
too well the great advantage of such influ- 
ences. If there is ever a time when people 
should be helped to be honest with them- 
selves, it is when they are sick. It is true 
they need cheer and encouragement, but a 
funny story, or an exciting incident is not 
the only thing that will revive them, or 
leave the most wholesome flavor in the 
mind. Tenderness and tact and prudence 
and wisdom are all necessary, but there is a 
way to get at the heart-wants and minister 
to them in the name of Christ. To do this, 
we must go in the spirit and love of Christ. 
Many a thoughtless person would never 
listen to God's voice in health, but in sick- 
ness He gets their ear for the first time. 
Their hearts become tender and suscepti- 



VISITING THE SICK 75 

ble, and they are easily influenced for 
good. 

Sit down, then, by them quietly, and 
with subdued voice read aloud, portions of 
the Word, — precious promises which will 
remind them of the Father's loving care and 
tender sympathy for His suffering children. 
Speak to them in a plain, simple way, of 
the Lord's nearer presence in their need, and 
that He stands pledged to love and keep 
them to the end. 

How soon, in this way, the place be- 
comes a Bethel, — and joy, and gladness, 
and hope return. 

VII. Sickness in some cases may mean 
death. Have some appropriate passages 
ready for such a time, and let the Lord 
speak through you, His own promises. " If 
you are near me when I die, hold up Jesus 
my Saviour before me; do not let me lose 
sight of Him," was the request a wife made 
to her husband. 

When the mind lets go its hold on earthly 
things, it may be helped in its grasp on eter- 
nal things. Familiar faces may grow dim, 



76 VISITING THE SICK 

but the face of Jesus may shine out, the one 
altogether lovely. 

It may be your friend is too weak to pray, 
and yet is longing for communion with the 
Beloved; kneel by the bedside yourself, and 
speak for him into that ear that is bended 
low to catch the faintest whisper. While 
you thus lift his heart in prayer, the Lord 
will reveal Himself and all will be light. 

What an exalted privilege is ours, if we 
will have it, of being used to cheer and 
comfort and uplift those upon whom God's 
hand rests heavily ! To bring to them the 
blessed leaves of healing from the Great 
Physician. 



Is There a Better Way? 



ONE of the saddest mistakes of our 
times is that made by Christian 
people who stay away from church several 
Sabbaths, immediately after a death has oc- 
curred in the family. So common a thing 
is this, that it has become almost a univer- 
sal custom. Happily there are some noble 
exceptions. 

Saying nothing of the harmful influence 
upon others, it is an irreparable loss to those 
who need, then if ever, the consolations of 
God's house, and one they can ill afford to 
sustain. 

The church members at such a time are 
moved with kindly sympathy, and are 
ready to surround the sorrowing friends 
with their loving presence, and endeavor to 
make up in some degree for the loneliness 
they feel. The pastor is untiring in his 
77 



78 IS THERE A BETTER WAY? 

attentions during the previous days or 
weeks of sickness and hour of dying; min- 
istering at the funeral in the home, and vis- 
iting afterwards the bereaved family, 
giving freely his time and sympathies and 
help, so far as lies in his power. As the 
Sabbath approaches he still bears these 
stricken members of his flock tenderly on 
his mind and heart, and plans his services 
somewhat with reference to them. He 
has with thoughtful care brought to the 
service some special words of comfort and 
promise to those whose grief is fresh and 
keen. He looks down at the family pew — 
but alas, it is vacant! They are not there 
to receive these comforts from the Lord at 
his hand, or to join in the worship, or to 
listen to the prayer offered in their behalf. 
Because God has called one of their number 
to the higher worship in heaven, they stay 
away from these earthly courts, and miss 
the helps that are waiting for them here. 
Thus they allow the solemn occasion to 
pass without availing themselves of the 
timely spiritual helps in their affliction, or 



IS THERE A BETTER WAY ? 79 

of bearing testimony to the value of Chris- 
tian worship as a means of strength and 
comfort in trial. 

Of course these suggestions are not in- 
tended to apply to those who are detained 
by illness or other necessary causes; but 
only to those who from choice defer to the 
prevailing custom. 

It is certain that sooner or later afflictions 
will come to every one of us; and it is well 
to entertain wholesome and Christian senti- 
ments with regard to these things before- 
hand, so we shall be prepared to act wisely 
when the stroke falls, and not put off all 
thought of [the evil day, so that it come 
upon us unawares, and unnerve us for the 
highest and best Christian conduct. 

David testifies to the benefit of the Lord's 
house in time of trial: "All the day long 
have I been . . . chastened; it was too 
painful for me ; until I went into the sanc- 
tuary of God ; then understood I." Many 
another of God's dear children could tell of 
the spiritual strength and uplift that have 
come to them as they have gone with 



80 IS THERE A BETTER WAY % 

bowed and bleeding hearts into the sanctu- 
ary of God and taken their place among His 
true worshippers. In the solemn stillness 
of His house, the angel of Peace has de- 
scended like a dove and rested upon them; 
the all-compassing Love of God has over- 
shadowed and enfolded them; the "sweet 
hour of prayer " has been to them one of 
devout and holy ministry from out the 
Father's blessed fullness; and they have 
returned to their broken fireside with a 
sweet sense of the Divine Presence that 
will forever abide there, and that will not 
leave them comfortless. 

" The Lord send thee help from the 
sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of 
Zion." 



"Nothing" 

(A BIBLE READING) 



AN important incident in the life of our 
Lord, is that of the sending forth 
His twelve disciples on their mission of 
preaching and healing. It is recorded, es- 
sentially the same by three of the evangel- 
ists. 

Up to a certain time, Christ Himself had 
been the Teacher and Preacher. "Jesus 
went about all the cities and villages, teach- 
ing in their synagogues, and preaching the 
gospel of the kingdom, and healing every 
sickness and disease among the people" 

But the multitudes that thronged about 
Him were increasing so rapidly, that He 
could not reach them all personally; hu- 
manly speaking, He needed help, and to 

whom would He naturally turn, but to 
81 



82 -NOTHING" 

those of His disciples who had been with 
Him and witnessed His miracles ? 

Before entering upon this sacred ministry 
with which they were to be entrusted, they 
needed to be a while with Jesus alone. 
Not apart from Him could they be made 
ready. And so He called them together 
unto Himself. 

Just what was said in that interview, or 
how long it lasted, we have no record; we 
only know He had something to bestow 
upon them, and that was, power for service. 
It was a divine act on His part to give ; it 
was a simple act of faith on their part to 
receive. 

Supposing when they heard Jesus calling 
them, they had replied, "Wait a little, 
. . . we are busy mending our nets; we 
must finish them first." Is it likely we 
should ever have heard of any mighty 
works they had done ? O, no! — it was be- 
cause they responded to His call, and spent 
time apart with Him, that He was able to 
use them as He did. 

What a vital lesson, dear friends, do we 



"NOTHING" 83 

find right here, for ourselves! Being with 
Jesus, spending time with Him, listening to 
His voice. 

We may imagine something of what they 
might have said to one another on the way, 
— " I wonder what He wants of us! do you 
know, Peter, or John?" "What can He 
have to say to us ? " It is not probable, 
however, that one of them appeared at 
Jesus' side with a listless or indifferent spirit. 
Fancy rather, that little group, sitting at His 
feet, looking up into His face, with the 
loyal feeling in their hearts, " Whatever 
He bids us do, we are ready to obey." 

As Jesus sent them forth, He gave them 
some special directions which perhaps sur- 
prised them. " Take nothing for your jour- 
ney, neither staves nor scrip, neither bread, 
neither money, neither have two coats 
apiece." What ! go on a missionary tour 
without money to buy food ? without shoes, 
even ? What if the road is rough ? Surely, 
if the weather turns cold, we shall need an 
extra coat. Must we go away from home 
empty-handed?" Yes,— He would teach 



84 "NOTHING" 

them, at the very outset, a lesson of faith, 
of absolute dependence upon Him. He 
would have nothing stand in the way which 
could possibly obstruct or hinder the incom- 
ing of His power into their lives. And so 
these disciples entered upon their divine 
commission. 

It is interesting to observe, that later on, 
we find Christ putting this question to them, 
— " When I sent you without purse and 
scrip and shoes, lacked ye anything} And 
they said, Nothing." 

O, how truly they had learned the secret 
of His bestowment! The same principle 
applies to us to-day. We as Christian 
workers, must not be cumbered with our 
earthly possessions, nor allow them to hin- 
der us on our life journey, but take from 
Him the spiritual preparation He gives us. 

It is perhaps a common thing for us to 
reckon somewhat upon our own fitness, 
and to count, more or less, upon any nat- 
ural qualifications we may possess, or think 
we do; — again, if we fail to discover these 
in ourselves, but find them in others, we 



"NOTHING" 85 

may be tempted to envy them on account 
of their superior gifts. 

But all this is wrong and dishonoring to 
Him who has called us to be fellow-workers 
with Him, and who has promised to sup- 
ply all our need. 

We may lack all other attainments, but 
this one, a spiritual baptism, we must have. 
We may be favored with natural gifts and 
graces, — (and these may be consecrated), 
yet even these cannot take the place of that 
divine power which comes through the 
Lord's personal touch. This power He is 
ready to bestow upon each of us who listens 
reverently to His voice, — who meditates 
upon His Word, and waits before Him in 
believing prayer. 

Then if He shall ask us, as He did His dis- 
ciples, "When I sent you, lacked ye any- 
thing?" we too may answer, "Nothing, 
dear Lord." "Thy blessed word is my 
message; — Thy Holy Spirit is my Guide. 
Thy strength takes the place of my weak- 
ness; Thy sweet love is the inspiration of 
my heart; Thy ceaseless intercession for me 



86 "NOTHING" 

is the anchor of my hope, holding me up 
and leading me on in Thy service." 

Such will be our unswerving testimony 
to the faithfulness of Him who has prom- 
ised to be our Guide even unto death. 



The Privilege of Teaching God's 
Word 



" The Spirit breathes upon the Word, 
And brings the truth to light." 

IT is a joy to teach God's Word, to pre- 
pare for it, to anticipate it, carrying it in 
one's heart. Many are the teachers all over 
our land who know this blessedness. Our 
Bible schools are full of them. 

I. There is a blessing in the preparation. 
Among the happiest hours are those with 
the open Bible at the feet of the great 
Teacher. A Sunday-school class is a good 
spur to Bible study. In this busy age many 
a Christian is at a loss for time to read, 
much less to search the Scriptures. This 
duty is crowded out by the pressing cares 
and toils of active life. While the body 
receives its nourishment the soul goes starv- 
ing. But when you pledge yourself to a 
87 



88 TEACHING GOD'S WORD 

Bible class, other things must give way; 
the lesson must be prepared, and this im- 
plies faithful study of the Bible. It leads 
to real searching of the Scriptures. The 
teacher seeks diligently for the meaning 
and mastery of the passage. It is thus 
fixed permanently in his mind, and he 
makes solid progress through the demands 
of the class on him. He endeavors to have 
his heart in accord with the truth he studies 
and with the object of the work before 
him. It takes him out of a dreamy senti- 
mental Christianity, and settles him into the 
heart of Christian truth. It compels him to 
dig out the meat of the Word and to be on 
his knees before God in earnest prayer; 
and to exert all his powers in behalf of his 
pupils. It keeps him on the watch for 
profitable thoughts and illustrations. He 
becomes a daily learner searching for all 
good things to bring to his class. Nothing 
could possibly occur better than this for the 
spiritual growth and enlargement of the 
teacher. It requires him to be in the spirit 
on the Lord's day. It restrains from wan- 



TEACHING GOD'S WORD 89 

dering thoughts, dispels his indifference, 
and leads him to abide by the cross. He 
cannot squander time and opportunity. 
He cannot let down in his faith, nor allow 
his life to drift, being set to a lower grade 
of Christian living. 

II. There is blessing also in the teaching. 
When thus brought into living contact with 
the Word, and your ear is opened to hear 
the divine voice, you are filled with a long- 
ing, to tell others of these things, and teach- 
ing is but giving utterance to the revelation 
of God's Word to your own soul; it is only 
drawing aside the veil, that His riches may 
be seen. Teaching is not simply asking 
questions. The substance of the lesson 
must be opened up and brought into sight. 
There must be something imparted to inter- 
est and awaken the mind. Acquaintance 
with the lesson gives confidence and cour- 
age. The teacher cannot give what he has 
not got. But the soul glowing under the 
power of the truth, is able to send it forth 
and awaken the same interest. Teacher 
and class discoursing together as they turn 



90 TEACHING GOD'S WORD 

their Bibles, comparing one passage with 
another, one reading a verse aloud, another 
asking a question, another still suggesting a 
practical thought, the teacher meanwhile 
gathering up the main points of the lesson, 
and guiding the thoughts of the class into 
spiritual channels; the moments are pre- 
cious, and the hour has gone too quickly. 
Few joys are greater than that of the 
teacher who, first taught of God, gives to 
others what he has received. Then again 
the teacher is brought into close personal 
sympathy with the class; he feels a respon- 
sibility for their individual welfare. He 
sits down by them. He learns their needs 
and difficulties, and enters into their yearn- 
ings for the better life, and by loving coun- 
sel leads them on higher. The teacher is 
thus a spiritual leader and guide. Pleasant 
are the friendships formed between teacher 
and pupils, friendships that will continue 
through eternity. 

III. A blessing comes, too, in results. 
A special joy comes to the teacher who is 
permitted to see the members of his class 



TEACHING GOD'S WORD 91 

coming to Christ. What an incentive this 
is to faithful teaching! We may not forget 
that we are dealing with immortal souls, 
susceptible to the power of the Holy Spirit. 
The truth we teach is God's truth, not ours. 
What faith we may have in it! Weakness 
ourselves, the Word is power. 

IV. There is a blessing in the memories. 
Who does not recall his first Sunday-school 
class ? Vividly those bright faces come up 
before you now, though years have passed 
since they gathered round you. After 
months of patient toil you saw in one and 
another the seed taking root, and you had 
the joy of garnering the fruit into the fold. 
You recall hours when a thoughtful silence 
rested upon the class. A gentleness in 
manner, a subdued expression on their 
faces, and here and there a moistened eye 
told you the Holy Spirit was near sealing 
the truth. Your soul yearned for them. 
You trembled as you realized the issues of 
that hour. You breathed a silent prayer for 
wisdom and help to lead them to Christ. 
The joyous privilege was yours, and the 



92 TEACHING GOD'S WORD 

memory of it will abide forever. Here is 
treasure laid up. 

A PRAYER. 

My dear Father. My heart is full of 
precious memories of Thy great goodness to 
me in all the months past, and I desire to 
pay Thee a grateful tribute of praise and 
thanksgiving. It is Thy hand that has 
shielded me from evil, and filled my cup 
with blessing. 

Thine infinite love has enfolded me, and 
Thy Holy Spirit has sustained and com- 
forted me in times of deep sorrow and trial. 

"If ever I loved Thee, dear Jesus, 'tis 
now." Oh, be pleased, from this lime on, 
to inspire me to holier living, to more faith- 
ful and self-denying service. And accept 
my praises evermore, in Christ's name. 

Amen. 



Christian Companionship 



ONE of the most interesting incidents 
in the life of St. Paul is recorded in 
connection with Titus, and shows the 
strong personal affection which existed be- 
tween these two disciples of Jesus. 

Paul, during one of his missionary tours, 
had come to the city of Troas for the ex- 
press purpose of preaching the Gospel, 
where, as he testifies, "a door was opened 
unto me of the Lord." Here was a prom- 
ising field of usefulness and the conditions 
for successful work. But we are surprised 
to find Paul restless in spirit and with little 
heart for his undertaking. What! has this 
strong disciple and leader lost faith in Christ 
or His cause ? Has he come to a halting- 
place in his incessant labors ? Why this 
unlooked-for depression ? Hear his own 
touching answer: "I had no rest in my 
93 



94 COMPANIONSHIP 

spirit because I found not Titus my 
brother." 

Paul had, a little while before, sent Titus 
to Corinth with a letter of reproof and 
counsel to the church there, and he evi- 
dently expected on his arrival at Troas, to 
find him and learn how his letter was re- 
ceived. But Titus was not there; and so 
keen was his disappointment that it actually 
unfitted Paul for his appointed mission in 
that city; so, "taking his leave," "he went 
to Macedonia." But still his anxiety re- 
mained, for he writes: "When we were 
come into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, 
but we were troubled on every side; with- 
out were fightings and within were fears." 
Not until Titus arrived was the dark cloud 
lifted, and the light once more burst in 
upon his soul. Then he was able to say: 
" I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding 
joyful in tribulation. For God that com- 
forteth those that are cast down, comforted 
us by the coming of Titus." Notwithstand- 
ing our exalted ideas of the great apostle 
we suppress our thoughts of condemnation, 



COMPANIONSHIP 95 

for he seems to come nearer to us in his 
moments of weakness, and we are re- 
minded that he is human still, like our- 
selves. 

But what was the secret of Paul's attach- 
ment to Titus? From the way he ad- 
dressed his letter to him, "Mine own son 
after the common faith," it is thought he 
was one of Paul's converts. He speaks of 
him later on, as his " partner and fellow- 
helper." Other glimpses we have of their 
mutual interest in Christian work. He 
thanks God for putting the "same earnest 
care" for the Corinthians "into the heart of 
Titus"; and adds, "Exceedingly the more 
joyed we for the joy of Titus, for his spirit 
was refreshed by you all." Again we find 
him "boasting" of them to Titus, and rec- 
ognizing " his inward and more abundant 
affection " towards them. And still again, 
referring to Titus, he said, "Walked we 
not in the same spirit, and in the same 
steps ? " What close and intimate friend- 
ship such words as these express! It is 
evident that Titus had come to be necessary 



96 COMPANIONSHIP 

to Paul, and when they were separated, his 
spirit longed for him with great desire. 
From this simple story we gather several 
important lessons. 

I. Great men, though eminent in Chris- 
tian graces are not independent of human 
love and fellowship. Paul was weak, 
alone, but strong in the loving confidence 
of Titus. 

II. It is possible for the weak to bear the 
infirmities of the strong, as truly as the 
strong the weak. Titus, the younger and 
weaker brother, was little aware, probably, 
what a helper he was to Paul; but Paul, in 
his trying and difficult work, had come to 
depend upon him largely for inspiration 
and encouragement. It was really God 
that comforted Paul, but He did it through 
Titus. 

III. Nothing so cheers the earnest Chris- 
tian worker as the knowledge that souls 
have been blessed through his labors. 
When Titus arrived in Macedonia, he re- 
ported a hopeful condition of things in the 
church of Corinth. Possibly Paul was feel- 



COMPANIONSHIP 97 

ing anxious lest his faithful words of re- 
buke had offended them: but Titus told 
him of their "earnest desire" their 
"mourning for sin," and their "fervent 
mind toward " Paul, so that his fears were 
allayed and his heart set at rest concerning 
them; and he thanked God and took cour- 
age. 

IV. We learn the great value of Chris- 
tian companionship. No other is so sweet 
and precious and lasting, and no child of 
God is so strong that he can live without it. 
Even our Lord Himself, when on earth, 
gathered about Him a circle of heart friends 
who became His daily companions, and to 
whom He looked, in a certain way, for help 
and support. He was cheered by their lov- 
ing presence, and lonely when they were 
absent from Him. When on one occasion 
some of His disciples forsook Him, it was 
no doubt in a tone of sadness and possible 
apprehension that He said to the Twelve, 
" Will ye also go away ? " 

V. Active service in Christ's cause in- 
tensifies Christian affection among those as- 



98 COMPANIONSHIP 

sociated together. God meant this to be 
so; and it is not without significance that 
our Saviour sent forth His disciples on their 
first mission, "two and two." He knew 
they would be strengthened in their love to 
the Master and toward one another by 
mutual toils and sacrifices for Christ's sake. 
It is not less true to-day. If our devotion 
to Christ is warm and living, we find our- 
selves more strongly drawn to those who 
labor with us in the Gospel, and it is in this 
spirit that we sing 

" Blest be the tie that binds." 

VI. Best of all, human friendships ce- 
mented in Christ do not end with this life. 
One of the joys of heaven will be, that we 
are "heirs together of the grace of life" — 
and shall "live together" with Him forever- 
more. How sweetly it enhances the 
thought of seeing God day and night be- 
fore His throne, if only our service there 
may be by the side of those whose dear 
presence on earth made life to us a blessed 
foretaste of the joys above! 



' The Fruit of the Lips " 



" Lord, I would henceforth seek 
To think and speak 
Thy thoughts. Thy words alone, 
No more my own." 

THIS is a Bible phrase, and has reference 
to our words. The divine standard 
of perfection is a man's words: " If any 
man offend not in word, the same is a per- 
fect man." 

It is evident that this great gift — this en- 
dowment of speech — becomes to us either 
an element of danger or a power for good 
according to the way we use it. Common- 
place and practical matters must be dis- 
cussed by us all, and affairs of every-day 
life adjusted by interchange of words, one 
with another. The electric currents of our 
nature must find expression in joy and song 
and gaiety even, like the light and play of 

LofC. 



ioo "FRUIT OF THE LIPS" 

sunshine on the lawn; and if, the mean- 
while, the Christ-love is coursing through 
our veins, sweetly controlling the springs 
of our life, our words, however imperfect, 
will savor of the spirit of Him who spake 
as never man spake. But there is a step 
higher than this. 

An angel is some time sent to each child 
of God, the same as to Daniel, saying, "/ 
have come for thy words." What shall they 
be that are worthy to be borne back to 
heaven ? Scarcely a day passes that we do 
not have an opportunity "to speak a word 
in season to him that is weary"; a word of 
sympathy and love which shall be a winged 
messenger of peace and comfort, a word 
of light and cheer to some darkened soul; 
a word of testimony which shall give 
strength and courage to the doubting one. 
But there is a step higher still. 

When Jeremiah was chosen of the Lord 
to be His prophet, his first exclamation was, 
"O Lord God, I cannot speak for I am a 
child / " Up to this hour we do not hear 
any complaint from Jeremiah that he could 



"FRUIT OF THE LIPS" 101 

not talk! But called of God for special 
service, he is surprised into a sense of his 
own deficiency. The dear Lord seeing his 
timidity and self-distrust, "put forth His 
hand and touched his mouth, and said to 
him, 'Behold, I have put My words into thy 
mouth; arise, therefore, and speak.'" 

This little incident furnishes abundant in- 
spiration for Christian endeavor to-day. 
We need this same baptism of the Lord's 
touch. The mightiest power God ever 
gives to those who would serve Him is that 
of using His words. The most eminent 
and successful of His servants are those 
who are most familiar with the Bible, and 
have learned to apply Scripture truth ap- 
propriately. This, to be sure, is a matter 
of prayerful study and experience, but it is 
within reach of all who will have it. 

I. The Bible estimates the character of 
men by the kind of lips they have. It 
speaks of "lying lips": they are "an 
abomination to the Lord" — and "unbecom- 
ing." How soon the person who utters lies 
is dropped from our list of trusted friends, 



io2 "FRUIT OF THE LIPS" 

and loses the confidence and respect of all. 
Lying lips are as truly an abomination to 
men as to God. The Psalmist prayed, 
" Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying 
lips." 

II. Then there are the "flattering lips," 
always coupled with a double heart, and 
the words they speak are "vanity." Solo- 
mon warns us against meddling with such 
people. 

III. There are "perverse lips." Now 
and then you meet with one who seems to 
delight in saying perverse things. He finds 
fault with everybody, criticises the best 
efforts of others, and puts an opposite 
meaning on all good utterances of other 
people. He insists on saying the things 
that hurt and wound and leave a sting be- 
hind. He is the thorn among the flowers. 
We look in vain for fruit here. 

IV. The prophet Ezekiel mentions the 
"lips of talkers." I am sure they were not 
confined to the age in which he lived. A 
talker is in great danger of saying both 
foolish and sinful things, and things he will 



"FRUIT OF THE LIPS" 103 

be ashamed of, and sorry for (if he has any 
conscience left), when he calmly reflects 
on what he has said. The words of a 
talker are like a run-away horse that has 
broken loose from all control— he carries 
mischief and ruin in his track. 

V. There are the "lips of a fool." A 
fool talks very freely about things of which 
he knows nothing. He is full of words 
without thoughts. Thoughts unexpressed 
are often valuable, but spoken words that 
are void of understanding are mere empti- 
ness. Solomon says, " The lips of a fool 
will swallow him up." Judging from the 
stream of words from some people's lips, 
you might easily infer that their mouths 
were the largest part of them. Such lips 
can hardly be said to bear any fruit at all. 

VI. Again, there are "feigned lips." 
Have you never seen such ? They say one 
thing and mean another. They suit their 
words to the occasion, and are never to be 
trusted. They are deceitful and insincere. 
They are like the man in the Greek Church 
who was seen devoutly counting his beads 



104 "FRUIT OF THE LIPS" 

with one hand, and deliberately picking the 
pocket of a fellow-worshiper with the 
other. No fruit here. 

VII. There are " unclean lips" that 
speak words they ought not, and taint the 
air with their foul breath. How instinc- 
tively the pure and good shrink back from 
contact with such, and entreat them not to 
enter their home! They guard the ap- 
proach to them, lest their words should 
catch the unsuspecting ear of their children. 

VIII. Isaiah speaks of "stammering 
lips." They do not dare trust themselves 
to speak openly for fear of making mis- 
takes; they are timid, and their sentences 
are broken, and but poorly express what is 
in their hearts to say. This suggests in- 
firmity rather than sin, and our judgment is 
kindly. But the very hindrance to free 
speech may be the safeguard that keeps 
the utterances pure and good. And the 
time is coming, according to the prophecy, 
when such lips "shall speak plainly." 

IX. Then there are "the lips of those 
who are asleep." Silence at times is golden; 



"FRUIT OF THE LIPS" 105 

our Saviour taught us this by His own ex- 
ample. But to keep silent when He would 
have us speak, is like sleeping when we 
ought to be awake and about our work. 
When we put a covering over the tree so 
that it shall get no sunshine, no dew, we 
dishonor Him who sends the sunshine and 
the dew. Of course the tree yields no 
fruit. But " A word spoken in due season, 
how good is it/" 

X. "The lips of the wise." — Solomon 
says three beautiful things of them. They 
are "gracious" ; they "disperse knowl- 
edge" ; they "refrain themselves" We 
may well envy the possessor of such lips. 
What a power for good! The number of 
troubles in the world that might be 
avoided, if only we could learn to refrain 
our lips, is legion. The hasty, the unkind, 
the inconsiderate word — there is no calling 
it back. Probably more mischief results 
from the lack of this refraining than from 
almost any other cause. David prayed, 
" O Lord, keep the door of my lips" and 
Dr. Watts speaks of setting "a double 



106 "FRUIT OF THE LIPS" 

watch that day" — the day he was in the 
company of wicked men. 

XI. The lips of the righteous, "know 
what is acceptable"; they speak right 
things, and scorn to utter evil. They "feed 
many." What a sacred mission conse- 
crated lips have, and how usefully em- 
ployed they may be in imparting instruc- 
tion and counsel and consolation to others! 
And their fruit is a " tree of life." 

XII. Once again, there are "joyful 
lips." I think we shall find fruit here. 
When David was in the wilderness, pur- 
sued by Saul, shut away from the taber- 
nacle worship in which he delighted, he 
called to mind in the night watches the 
former times when God had been his 
helper; he remembered the loving-kindness 
of the Lord in the days of his prosperity; 
his soul was comforted, and he cried out: 
"OGod, Thou art my God! My mouth 
shall praise Thee with joyful lips / " Many 
a stricken soul in heaviness and sorrow 
has, like David, so dwelt upon God's 
loving-kindness to him as to forget his 



"FRUIT OF THE LIPS" 107 

misery, and break forth into a strain of joy- 
ful praise. The writer of the Epistle to the 
Hebrews says, "Let us offer the sacrifice 
of praise to God continually, that is, the 
fruit of our lips." 

But we must not forget that God Himself 
says, "/ create the fruit of the lips." 
Have we no responsibility about it, then ? 
Most certainly we have. Fruit-growers 
take infinite pains in the cultivation of their 
fruit trees. They see that the conditions of 
healthy growth are right ; that they have the 
requisite amount of sun and moisture and 
richness of soil, and that they are properly 
shielded from adverse and destructive storms 
and winds. All this that the fruit may be 
abundant and perfect, so they may produce 
it in the market as an attractive and desir- 
able thing. When this is done, God gives 
the increase. 

We must not be less painstaking in the 
cultivation of the fruit of our lips. We 
must see that the heart, from the abun- 
dance of which the lips speak, is right; 
that the weeds of selfishness and bitterness 



io8 "FRUIT OF THE LIPS" 

and envy and evil are well rooted out; that 
it is enriched with the love and grace of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. We must let in the sun- 
shine of His promises freely, and surround 
it with the warm atmosphere of faith and 
prayer. We must guard it carefully from 
the winds of temptation, lest they sweep in 
and chill the fruit while yet in the bud. 
We must let the sweet dews of God's grace 
fall upon it, and the water from the wells of 
salvation moisten its roots, lest they dry up 
in the drought of summer. 

This done, and God will give life and 
power to our words, and we may hope to 
bring forth fruit acceptable, and to His 
praise, and at last to be numbered among 
the redeemed in heaven, in whose lips is 
found no guile, " for they are without fault 
before the throne of God." 

"Speak with My words." "They shall 
withal be fitted in thy lips." 

[A classmate of Dr. Goodell's was so impressed with the 
Article of Mrs. Goodell's on " The Fruit of the Lips," that 
he used it for a prayer-meeting. He cut it into twelve 
parts, and assigned each part to some member of his 



"FRUIT OF THE LIPS" 109 

church, to make the basis of his remarks, bringing in 
Scripture references on the subject. 

It proved a most interesting and profitable meeting. 
The article is well worth careful study and medita. 
tion. 

How many times we repent of our spoken words, 
and with David say, " I will take heed to my ways that 
I sin not with my tongue ; I will keep my mouth with 
a bridle."— F. J. D.] 



" I Have Learned " 

A BIBLE READING 



THESE words give us a glimpse into the 
life experience of the Apostle Paul 
and reveal some of the mysteries con- 
cerning his attainments as a follower of 
Christ to which we may well give heed. 
When we behold an eminent Christian 
we are apt to forget the steps by which 
he has reached his position. 
We overlook the fact that 

" Heaven is not reached at a single bound ; 
But we build the ladder by which we rise 
From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, 
And we mount to its summit round by round." 

Like the rest of us, Paul's Christian life 
had a beginning, and he had everything to 
learn. His knowledge and enlargement of 
capacity did not come to him without ear- 



"I HAVE LEARNED" in 

nest and patient endeavor, and a studious use 
and forth-putting of the necessary means. 

It will be helpful to us to take St. Paul 
for our model if we would aspire to lofty 
eminence in spiritual living. 

When on his journey to Damascus, the 
miraculous light shone round about him and 
the voice of the unseen One penetrated his 
soul, he was " not disobedient unto the heav- 
enly vision.' 1 He turned about and enrolled 
at once as a pupil in the school of Christ. He 
had, before this, sat at the feet of Gamaliel 
and learned many things, but now he sits at 
the feet of the Divine Teacher to be taught 
the higher wisdom that cometh from above; 
and from that day we find him earnestly 
"reaching forth unto those things which 
are before" and pressing towards the mark. 
His motto was, "So run that ye may ob- 
tain." He was going for his crown and 
for the prize! He made a point of forgetting 
the things that were behind, his old habits 
and aims and purposes, setting for himself a 
new standard. He recognized that he was 
"a new creature" in Christ, and that he 



112 "I HAVE LEARNED" 

had started out in a godly career. We can 
see what carefulness this wrought in him, 
what clearing of himself, "yea, what vehe- 
ment desire." As a scholar in this school, 
he confessed his ignorance and experience. 
"Not as though I had already attained, 
either were already perfect; but I follow 
after, if by any means I might attain" 
He took a very lowly place; his attitude was 
" looking unto Jesus" — the attitude of a 
disciple, a learner. At the very outset, 
Paul seemed to have laid hold of a great 
principle. It is when we are "beholding 
the glory of the Lord" that we "are 
changed" into the same image. 

Paul was an ambitious scholar and made 
rapid progress. His aim first of all, was to 
"know Christ." This was the foundation 
rock on which he built the magnificent 
structure of his Christian manhood. For 
this he cheerfully sacrificed everything that 
stood in his way. He relinquished every 
hope of worldly honor and preferment, and 
gathered up all his energies to the attain- 
ment of an intimate, personal acquaintance 



"I HAVE LEARNED" 113 

with his divine Teacher "for whom," he 
says, " I have suffered the loss of all things." 
It is not long before we hear him speaking 
of the " constraining love of Christ." 
Learning to know Him, he had learned to 
love Him. 

" Sweeter lesson cannot be, 
Loving Him who first loved me." 

Who can tell the rich rewards that come 
to him whose whole soul is engrossed with 
the infinite love of Jesus. 

In this intense, bustling age, we are in 
great danger of cheating ourselves out of the 
dear and loving companionship with Christ 
which it is our privilege to have. An emi- 
nent Christian once prayed: "Lord, may we 
take time to enjoy Thee, and may we give 
Thee time to enjoy us." Surely, 

" Christ never asks of us such busy labor 
As leaves no time for resting at His feet ; 

The waiting attitude of expectation 

He ofttimes counts a service most complete." 

A scholar in any school cannot always be 
at his recitation. He must necessarily be 



114 " J HAVE LEARNED" 

much alone in thought, and study, and prep- 
aration. So a pupil in Christ's school must 
secure time for meditation, and attentive 
listening to the voice of His Word. Paul 
did this. In close and sweet communion 
with Jesus he found inspiration for his al- 
most constant labors, and he had a zeal in 
his work that was according to knowledge, 
" / know whom I have believed." 

Paul's aim was to attain " unto the meas- 
ure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" 
He did not stop short of this, and before his 
graduation day, could say without boasting, 
"/ have learned" He teaches us a great 
lesson here. The day we cease to be learn- 
ers we cease to grow, and become spiritual 
dwarfs. Our Christian lives should be a 
continual progress to the end. 

Our Lord sometimes sets us very hard 
lessons, but always for our profit. He does 
not mean we should always stay down in 
the lower rooms. As we are able, He wants 
to promote us to the higher grades, to the 
heavenly places. Paul understood this. He 
learned much by experience, more by self- 



"I HAVE LEARNED" n^ 

sacrifice for Christ's sake, and still more by 
intimate acquaintance with Him. But he 
did not shrink from the deeper and more 
painful lessons. He aspired to heights in 
Christian knowledge that could be reached 
only by way of the valley. There are some 
things that can only be learned beneath the 
shadow of the Cross, but they are the 
choicest things. And such a blessed insight 
did Paul get into the glory of the sufferings 
of his dear Lord, by his personal fellowship 
in them, that he left on record this beautiful 
testimony : " The sufferings of this present 
life are not worthy to be compared with the 
glory that shall be revealed in us." 

Was it an easy thing for Paul to learn ? 
We have only to read of his struggles with 
his old nature, and his fightings with sin, 
to answer this question. He was not igno- 
rant of Satan's devices. And it may be an 
encouragement to us, who find it so hard 
to learn life's best lessons, to know that 
such a one as Paul, found it a difficult thing 
too. 

But he has shown us the way to victory 



n6 "I HAVE LEARNED" 

over our easily besetting sins, and the path 
to noble Christian attainment: "By the 
grace of God, I am what I am." And God 
is able to make this same grace bound 
in every one of us, "that ye, always having 
all sufficiency in all things, may abound to 
every good work ." 



" Where are the Nine?" 

A BIBLE READING 



THE story of the miraculous healing of 
the ten lepers contains a most pathetic 
exclamation from our Lord, which suggests 
a wholesome lesson to us all who are in 
any way the recipients of His favors. 

"Were there not ten cleansed? But 
where are the nine?" 

These lepers — doomed men — had chanced 

to meet the only One in all the world to 

whom they could appeal for help with any 

reasonable hope of relief. And to Him 

they earnestly cried, "Jesus, Master, have 

mercy upon us!" He graciously listened 

to their cry, and in His pity, He healed 

them. If He had not done this they must 

have suffered on to the bitter end. It was 

a question with them, between lifelong 
117 



n8 "WHERE ARE THE NINE?" 

bondage to disease, and abounding health. 
By His good favor the loathsome and incur- 
able leprosy had departed, and the flush of 
vigor and strength had taken its place. 
This rich boon had been granted freely, and 
without price, and with no lingering delay. 
In a moment, as it were, they were trans- 
formed from lepers to sound men. 

But, strange to say, only one of the ten 
returned to give thanks ! Jesus noticed 
this strange conduct, and was sorrow- 
ful. 

"Were there not ten cleansed? But 
where are the nine ? " Can it be possible 
they have asked and appropriated so much 
and forgotten Me? If they have thought- 
lessly gone their way for the moment, 
surely they will yet turn back. Thus we 
can picture Christ as He stands gazing after 
them with yearning heart and disappointed 
look. 

When we take up this case and think it 
over, we are filled with amazement and 
indignation at so gross an exhibition of 
ingratitude and selfishness ; and yet, is it 



"WHERE ARE THE NINE?" 119 

not typical of hundreds to-day who are re- 
ceiving richly at the hand of God, and who 
render not back to Him according to his 
benefits ? 

We know that while it is God's pleasure 
to give, it is also His prerogative to receive. 
He is not indifferent to our attitude in these 
matters. He looks for and expects some re- 
turn from us for the blessings He bestows. 
If we are grateful, He is pleased and honored ; 
if we are silent and selfish, He is grieved as 
He waits in vain for the praise which is His 
due. These blessings are so rich and 
abundant that they seem to fall upon us al- 
most as a matter of course. But no! they 
are thought out and planned, one by 
one, with loving regard to our need. " He 
openeth His hand ; " that is why they 
fall. 

Perhaps the one leper whose heart was 
touched, longed for some alabaster box of 
precious ointment to pour upon the head of 
his benefactor. So now, the devoutly 
grateful soul will not rest until he has 
offered to the Lord of that which costs him 



i2o "WHERE ARE THE NINE?" 

something. The gratitude that seeks to go 
no further than words, is not the deepest 
nor the most genuine. Christ warned His 
disciples against the hypocrisy of the 
Pharisees, " For they say and do not." 

The natural impulse of a truly grateful 
heart is to express itself, not only in words, 
but also in gifts; the deeper the sense of 
obligation, the stronger grows the desire to 
give. There is something very beautiful in 
the way our Heavenly Father encourages 
this impulse in His children and opens up 
to them a channel as deep and broad as 
the measure of His gifts to them. 

" When ye will offer a sacrifice of 
thanksgiving unto the Lord, . . . every 
man shall give as he is able, according to 
the blessing of the Lord which He hath 
given thee." 

If we are ready to accept this standard 
for ourselves, let us take a single day, and 
carefully note the favors we receive at His 
hand, even those we call the most common. 

We rise in the morning, having had His 
protecting care through the night. The 



"WHERE ARE THE NINE?" 121 

bright sun shines in at our windows; the 
sweet breath of heaven cheers and invigo- 
rates us; we are nourished from His table, 
we are greeted by dear ones about us. The 
atmosphere of love pervades the home; we 
are surrounded by pleasant associations; we 
scarcely know a want; our cup is full to 
overflowing. The hours pass, each one of 
them bringing some necessary, wholesome 
toil, or needed refreshment, till the evening 
twilight calmly broods over us, shedding 
divine peace and benediction, and the cur- 
tain of night again falls, and we rest, " not 
for dreams, but for fresher power to be and 
to do." 

Added to these temporal blessings, so 
manifold and oft-repeated, is the capacity 
to hold and enjoy them, — eyes for the light, 
etc. But above all is the growing confi- 
dence of an unfailing Friend by our side, 
sustaining, guiding, enriching our daily life. 

If in some such way as this we enumerate 
our mercies, we shall find them as the very 
stars of heaven for multitude. 

It is a good thing, also, to take account 



122 "WHERE ARE THE NINE*?" 

of special tokens from the Father's hand, — 
some mighty deliverance from peril, some 
unexpected relief from pressing anxiety, 
some long-delayed answer to prayer, the 
restoration to health of a beloved husband 
or child. Or if through the discipline of 
sorrow He has lifted you and me, by a new 
and living way, up on to the high table- 
lands of faith, and revealed to our spiritual 
vision the glories that await us in the land 
that is not far away, where sickness, and 
pain, and death can never come . . . O 
then, for these rich overflowings of His 
tender grace, let us lay a special thank offer- 
ing of gold or silver at His feet, as a testi- 
monial of our love and heartfelt gratitude. 
It shall come up before Him as sweet 
incense; with such sacrifices He will be well 
pleased. 

So will He " rejoice over thee with joy "; 
" He will joy over thee with singing." 
And He will answer thee in the joy of thine 
heart. 

A PRAYER. 

O Lord, help me to pass on to others this 



"WHERE ARE THE NINE?" 123 

love Thou hast given me. May I not 
selfishly enjoy the rich blessings and privi- 
leges Thou dost bestow upon me, but may I 
share them with others less favored. Give 
me the self-sacrificing spirit of Him who 
counted not His life dear unto Himself, but 
gave it a living sacrifice that He might save 
a perishing world. 

Fill me, I pray Thee, with Thy Holy 
Spirit, and make the fruits of the Spirit 
abound in me ; — Love, that reaches out to the 
lost;— Joy that rejoices in Thy salvation ; — 
Peace that keeps me calm and trusting, what- 
ever Thou dost send me of sorrow or disci- 
pline ; and faith in Thy abounding and 
gracious promises. Amen, 



"A New Song" 



" The sun that lights mine eyes. 
Is Christ the Lord I love ; 
I sing for joy ..." 

IN the "still hour " of one of the last days 
of the old year, as I sat with the pre- 
cious Word open before me, looking for 
something that I might take as my "motto" 
for the new year, my eyes rested upon one 
of the marked passages in my Bible, and 
held my attention, to the exclusion, for the 
time being, of all else. The passage was 
this : 

"/ will sing a new song unto Thee, O 
God!" 

As I yielded myself to the inspiration of 
the passing moments, the Spirit seemed to 
illumine the very letters with a hallowed 
light and a fresh sense of His nearer pres- 
ence swept through my whole being. My 
124 



"A NEW SONG" 125 

soul was awake to the impulse of love, and 
my thoughts drifted easily into this open 
channel. 

It appears that the "sweet Psalmist of 
Israel," ages agone, in a moment of spirit- 
ual uplift, uttered this exclamation, which, 
all unconsciously to himself, was destined 
to inspire my heart in this later time. And 
now as a result, as each day dawns, I, too, 
am saying, " I will sing a new song unto 
Thee, OGod!" 

I. We know this song of David's was a 
song of his heart. It is the heart-music to 
which the ear of the Lord is always open. 
It may sometimes be too deep for utterance, 
but even then, it is well-pleasing to Him. 
St. Paul reminds us that we may "make 
melody in our hearts unto the Lord." Music 
of any sort, however, admits of cultivation; 
our natural voices have to be trained in 
order to sing correctly. So our hearts must 
be cultivated to render acceptable music to 
God. We may be taught in God's school 
to "be joyful in the Lord." A happy heart 
sings; a fault-finding heart can never sing. 



126 "A NEW SONG" 

A selfish heart, craving more for itself than 
for others, is never ready to sing. A sad 
heart, dwelling upon its losses with no up- 
ward look, continually crying out, " Behold 
and see, if there be any sorrow like unto 
my sorrow " — such a heart has no voice for 
song. But the heart that makes the "joy 
of the Lord" its strength, can sing forth 
God's praises at all times. 

II. This song of David's was a song of 
praise. He had been thinking over God's 
dealings with him; he had been saying, 
"How precious are Thy thoughts unto 
me, O God!" 

' ' I remember the days of old. " "I medi- 
tate on all Thy works." "I will sing praises 
unto my God while I have any being." 

III. This song of David was a song of 
gratitude. "What shall I render unto the 
Lord for all His benefits toward me?" ' ' O 
Lord, my God, I will give thanks unto Thee 
forever!" 

IV. King David's song was a song of 
obedience. "Thou art my portion, O God, 
I have said that I would keep Thy words." 



"A NEW SONG" 127 

V. This song of David was a song of 
love. "I love the Lord because He hath 
heard my voice and my supplications." 

VI. David's song was one of hope and 
cheer. He knew by experience, what trial 
and affliction were, yet he said, "Why art 
thou cast down, O my soul, and why art 
thou disquieted within me ? Hope thou in 
God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help 
of His countenance." 

Thus we see there is a variety in the 
heart-music we may render to the Lord, ac- 
cording to the varying circumstances in 
which we may be placed. There is the 
song of praise, of gratitude, of love and 
loyalty, of hope and cheer. 

When everything goes well with us, it is 
easy to sing; but when the waves of sor- 
row sweep over us, rending our hearts with 
grief, our singing is apt to cease. When 
our homes are broken, and loved ones who 
have been the light and cheer and inspira- 
tion of our daily lives, are taken from us, 
and walk no more by our side, we say, Is 
it possible for us to sing ? When the lone- 



128 "A NEW SONG" 

liness presses upon us, and we miss the 
old-time companionship which was so pre- 
cious, and so necessary to our happiness, 
we say, Is it strange that our heart-melody 
is hushed ? Oh, if we only knew it, these 
are the times we may honor God the most 
with our heart songs! The songs of merri- 
ment and mirth may have no place, but we 
may learn to sing " a new song" unto the 
Lord; a song of loving submission and 
trust. It is also our privilege so to lose 
ourselves in the contemplation of our loved 
ones in the presence of God and the holy 
angels in heaven, as to share, in some 
measure, their bliss, and even to join them 
in singing their new song of hallelujah and 
praise. 

A writer has well said, "The happiest, 
sweetest, tenderest homes are not those 
where there has been no sorrow; but those 
which have been overshadowed with grief, 
and where Christ's comfort was accepted. 
The very memory of the sorrow is a gentle 
benediction that ever broods over the house- 
hold, like the silence that comes after prayer." 



-A NEW SONG" 129 

Who of us does not wish to belong to 
the ever-increasing choir of heavenly voices, 
some in heaven and some on earth, which 
are continually singing the praises of God's 
redeeming love and grace ? Can we not, 
every day, look up and say, 

"/ will sing a new song unto Thee, O 
God/" 

" Let me lose earth's dearest thing, 
Let my fairest hopes take wing, 
I shall yet most blessed be, 
Saviour, clinging close to Thee." 



One Sweetly Solemn 
Thought " 



THIS beautiful and familiar hymn of 
Phoebe Cary's was born of her own 
heart experience. She wrote it in the re- 
tirement of her room one Sabbath morning 
on returning from church. It was not the 
result of any premonitions of approaching 
death, so far as we know. She lived eight- 
een years after composing it, and had the 
comfort of knowing something of the 
power for good it came to be in the world. 
In the place of public worship, concerning 
which God said, "There I will meet with 
thee, and I will commune with thee," she 
caught a fresh glimpse of the better land. 
"The great white throne" and " the crystal 
sea" appeared before her in unveiled 
beauty and splendor, scarcely beyond her 

reach. 

130 



ONE SOLEMN THOUGHT 131 

Such a rapturous view of the eternal 
world was no vain thing to this devout 
soul; it was "a sweetly solemn thought." 
She realized, with mingled emotions of awe 
and joyful anticipation, that she was 
"nearer home" that day, perhaps, than 
she thought. And as if to assure herself 
before God she prayed, 

" Father, perfect my trust ! 

Strengthen my power of faith ! 
Nor let me stand at last alone 
Upon the shore of death." 

To those who have no faith in God, with 
whom the promises have no weight, to 
whom the hastening years bring no hope 
of heaven, the impending fact of death 
must be an ever-increasing terror. But to 
the child of God, whose abiding trust is in 
Him, whose heart is linked to every pre- 
cious word of promise, whose life is " hid 
with Christ," there is nothing to fear in 
death. The Christian idea is that of sleep; 
it is always spoken of as such in the New 
Testament. It is the gate which opens into 
life ; only those who die really live. The 



132 ONE SOLEMN THOUGHT 

almighty, invisible Hand which we grasp 
in faith when we first become the Lord's 
and which guides us through every step of 
our pilgrimage, will hold us safe in that 
solemn hour, and we shall not be left to 
cross the dark river alone. "When thou 
passest through the waters, / will be with 
thee, . . . thy Saviour." By faith we can 
appropriate this comforting assurance, and 
rest in hope. God has not left His children 
in any doubt on this point, and it is not His 
will that we should be subject to bondage 
all our lifetime through fear of death. 

Nothing will tend to allay our fears and 
elevate us to a state of calm trust like an- 
ticipating the life beyond. In order to do 
this intelligently we must learn all we can 
about that life. One says, " Oh, there is 
so little about heaven in the Bible!" It is 
true the disclosures are meagre compared 
with what we would like to know, but if 
we search carefully we shall probably be 
surprised to find how much there is that 
throws light upon this subject. 

Heaven is described in the book of Reve- 



ONE SOLEMN THOUGHT 133 

lation under the figure of a holy city of sur- 
passing magnificence and loveliness, with 
many mansions and "having the glory of 
God." Every beautiful and precious object 
on earth is made a type and shadow — walls 
of precious stone, gates of pearl, golden 
streets, living fountains of waters and tree 
of life, the throne and the rainbow round 
about, with Christ the light and life, the 
centre of all. 

The Bible also teaches that heaven is to 
be the final and eternal abode of His chil- 
dren. Our Saviour said to His disciples, " I 
go to prepare a place for you, . . . and 
I will come again and receive you unto My- 
self, that where I am, there ye may be 
also." 

David undoubtedly had heaven in mind 
when he said, " I will dwell in the house of 
the Lord forever." Paul was willing to be 
"absent from the body and at home with 
the Lord." Christ said to the penitent thief, 
"To-day thou shalt be with Me in para- 
dise." As Stephen was dying he looked 
steadfastly into heaven and saw Jesus stand- 



134 ONE SOLEMN THOUGHT 

ing on the right hand of God and said, 
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 

Again, the Word of God reveals the state 
of those who enter heaven as one of safety, 
of rest, of happiness, of communion with 
Christ. " Blessed are the dead who die in 
the Lord." " There remaineth a rest to the 
people of God." All causes of unhappiness 
will be removed — sin, death, sorrow, pain, 
hunger, thirst, tears. 

We also learn that they are actively em- 
ployed both in praise and in service. St. 
John, in his apocalyptic vision, represented 
them as standing before the throne, arrayed 
in white robes and palms in their hands, 
singing the new song and crying, "Salva- 
tion unto our God which sitteth on the 
throne, and unto the Lamb." "And they 
serve Him day and night in His temple.'' 
Paul gives suggestion of another employ- 
ment — that of acquiring knowledge. ' * Now 
we see in a mirror darkly; but then face to 
face: now I know in part; but then shall I 
know even as also I have been known." 

The Psalmist speaks of the delights of 



ONE SOLEMN THOUGHT 135 

heaven — "fullness of joy" and "pleasures 
forevermore." The poet Trench tells the 
story of a monk who feared the worship 
and praise of heaven might sometime grow 
monotonous and wearisome. One day as 
he wandered in the woods he was charmed 
by the sweet singing of a bird; the song 
seemed to " invite all hearts to holy mirth." 
As he stopped to listen, the time seemed not 
long, but on returning to the convent he 
found that while he had stood lost in the 
deep gladness of his soul, three generations 
had passed! Ever after, his one only fear 
was lest eternity should not suffice to sound 
the depths of the joys reserved in heaven. 

Not the least of the cherished anticipa- 
tions of heaven must always be the longed- 
for reunion of dear friends separated by 
death, who have tasted the bitter cup of 
heart-loneliness on the earth. Our Saviour 
said to His disciples: " A little while and ye 
behold Me not; and again a little while and 
ye shall see Me." "Ye shall be sorrowful, 
but your sorrow shall be turned into joy." 
The One who implanted within our hearts 



136 ONE SOLEMN THOUGHT 

that imperishable affection which is the 
sweetness and inspiration of our earthly ex- 
istence, does not mean that we shall always 
hunger for our lost joys. In His own good 
time, " after that ye have suffered a little 
while," He will restore our union baptized 
in a deeper, purer, holier love one for the 
other, and thus together we shall spend 
eternity with Him. 

Seeing that all these things shall be, 
"what manner of persons ought ye to be, 
in all holy living and godliness, looking for 
and earnestly desiring the coming of the day 
of God." " For thus shall be richly supplied 
unto you the entrance into the eternal king- 
dom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 



So Great a Cloud of Witnesses " 



THE writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews 
calls our attention to a wonderful 
fact in the spiritual world, to which, per- 
haps, because of its mysterious nature, we 
may have failed to attach due significance; 
a fact, however, if we allow it to bear upon 
our individual lives, which will serve as a 
glad incentive to high and holy living. 
While presenting the "better hope," the 
"better substance," the "better country" 
and the "better resurrection" as worthy of 
our attainment, he suggests as a special 
stimulus to our best endeavors this motive: 
"Seeing we are compassed about with so 
great a cloud of witnesses." Drawing the 
figure from the Oriental games, he transfers 
the simile to the Christian race, revealing 
the marvellous truth that as the competitors 
in their games were surrounded by specta- 
137 



138 "CLOUD OF WITNESSES" 

tors who eagerly watched their progress, 
so a countless, unseen multitude of beings 
above us, like a cloud, overshadows us, ever 
alert and interested in our onward course as 
we press our way to the Heavenly City. 

Here, indeed, is a subject for our serious 
thought. The prophet Elisha, in behalf of 
his servant, prayed, " Lord, open his eyes 
that he may see. And the Lord opened the 
eyes of the young man; and he saw ; and 
behold, the mountain was full of horses 
and chariots of fire." So to us the Lord is 
ready to give the fuller revelation of spirit- 
ual truth, as we reverently seek it in His 
Word. 

Here and there, throughout the Bible, we 
find blessed assurances of His own Divine 
Presence with us, of His protecting care 
over us, and His everlasting arms under- 
neath us. Again and again we are glad to 
appropriate to ourselves those precious 
words of our Lord, " Lo, I am with you 
alway." The more we dwell upon them 
and take them in, the larger our faith and 
courage grow. We are persuaded that 



"CLOUD OF WITNESSES" 139 

whatever else befalls us, nothing shall be 
able to separate us from Him. Conscious 
as we are of our insufficiency to do, or even 
think, anything as of ourselves, we rest 
upon Him as upon the solid rock, knowing 
whom we have believed, and that He "is 
able to do exceeding abundantly above all 
that we ask or think." 

But it is a sweet thought that our Father 
is also mindful of that element in our na- 
ture which craves human sympathy, and 
that He still permits us to cling fondly to 
our human companionships and loves, even 
though death may for a time have separated 
us. When our dear friends are taken from 
us we do not cease loving them; we seem 
to love them all the more. A year passes — 
five — ten years, since the farewell, and we 
love them still, and the sense of loneliness 
does not grow less. 

Very many, no doubt, as the years run 
on, are more and more conscious of loss. 
Especially is this true of those who have 
crossed the summit of life's hill, whose 
Joyec} companions have disappeared from 



140 "CLOUD OF WITNESSES" 

sight and walk no more by their side; the 
familiar voice, which all along the way was 
their joy and inspiration, now stilled; the 
smile which cheered and encouraged them 
now vanished; the helping hand and strong 
protecting arm no longer raised in their be- 
half; the daily, countless touches of love 
now only among the treasured memories 
of the past. This is the picture we see 
everywhere as we look about us: 

" Never morning wore 
To evening, but some heart did break." 

Although the eternal hills are increasingly 
in sight, and the visions of glory where our 
dear ones are and where God is, are bright- 
ening, and the blessed day-dawn seems not 
so very far away, yet even here and now, be- 
fore we reach the heavenly goal, there are 
higher steeps for us to climb and rougher 
ways for our feet to tread, it may be, and 
we need to avail ourselves of all the helps 
offered us by the One who has measured 
our way for us, and who waits to welcome 
us at the Gates of Light. 



"CLOUD OF WITNESSES" 141 

It is not comfort simply that we want in 
our losses — precious though that is — but re- 
newed courage and power to go on with 
unremitting diligence in all ways of useful 
service or patient waiting till we have ful- 
filled God's purpose in us here, and wrought 
His holy will; until we have finished our 
course and won our crown. 

There is no hope concerning our friends 
who have died — excepting the supreme 
hope of meeting them again — which we so 
fondly cherish as the hope that they love us 
still and think of us in all our labors and 
struggles and aspirations; that they, hav- 
ing passed all the way before us and 
attained the heavenly heights themselves, 
do not forget us who linger here be- 
low. 

These yearnings of our hearts surely need 
not go unanswered. This " cloud of wit- 
nesses," including the heroes who lived 
lives of faith on the earth — Enoch, Moses, 
David also, and Samuel — this " cloud "an 
ever-expanding one, we must believe still 
holds its place in the heavens, and will, un- 



142 "CLOUD OF WITNESSES" 

til all the succeeding generations of God's 
faithful are gathered home. 

If this be true, then why may we not 
cherish the belief also that our dear ones, 
our very own, with whom we took sweet 
counsel upon earth, have, in turn, entered 
that cloud, and to-day are watching our 
progress, step by step, as we journey on ? 
With reverent imagination we can think of 
them as beholding us, as singling us out 
individually, as " mourning more for us, if 
there were mourning in heaven, than we 
for them ; " as rejoicing in all our victories 
and triumphs; as praying for us as they 
were wont to do when they were here with 
us; and mutually sharing our own fond an- 
ticipations of a happy and eternal reunion 
in the mansions above. 

While we thus pierce the veil which 
hides the other world from us, we find our- 
selves bound to the heavenly host by cords 
which death itself cannot sunder. 

" So we on earth have union 
With God, the Three in One, 
And mystic, sweet communion 
With those whose rest is won." 



"CLOUD OF WITNESSES" 143 

How much there is in all this to inspire 
us with diligence and faithfulness to go 
forward with firmer step and more cheerful 
heart! For the love we bear them, and be- 
cause they wait for our coming, " let us lay 
aside every weight, and the sin which doth 
so easily beset us, and let us run with pa- 
tience the race that is set before us, looking 
unto Jesus." 



Memorials 



THE maxim of a wise man of the olden 
time was, "Fear God and keep His 
commandments, for this is the whole duty 
of man." "Fear," "duty"— cold and 
heartless! we say. 

Christ came to reveal a higher ideal. " A 
new commandment I give unto you, that 
ye love one another even as I have loved 
you. By this shall all men know that ye 
are My disciples." 

He even reasoned with them in favor of 
something beyond duty — "When ye shall 
have done all those things that are com- 
manded you, ye say, (or may well say) we 
are unprofitable servants; we have only 
done that which it was our duty to do " — 
implying that their service was incomplete. 
On the other hand, He would teach them 

that love is sufficient in itself to impel them 
144 



MEMORIALS 145 

to every sacrifice and service which His 
cause required. 

The highest expression of God's love was 
a gift. "God so loved the world that He 
gave His only begotten Son" — "loved," 
"gave." This is the loftiest ideal that 
could possibly be set before us. 

Not less wonderful was the love of Christ 
Himself, that led to the sacrifice of His own 
life. "No man taketh it from Me, but I 
lay it down of Myself." "Greater love 
hath no man than this, that a man lay down 
his life for his friends." And Christ said 
again to His disciples, "I have left you an 
example, that ye should do as I have done 
to you," namely, exercise this same Christ- 
like love, one toward another, in deeds of 
generous self-sacrifice and surrender. Here 
is our warrant for Christian benevo- 
lence. 

Different motives constrain us in the 
exercise of benevolence, the same as they 
prompt other acts of the Christian. Among 
them two are prominent: "First, duty, 
leading us to give what the conscience says 



146 MEMORIALS 

one ought to give, deciding upon a stated 
proportion, and abiding by it with no fur- 
ther thought or care. And second, love, 
which leads to the unrestrained giving, ac- 
cording to the yearning desire toward God, 
or in behalf of our fellow-men. The first 
of these, duty, is good and commendable 
as far as it goes, and should not be ignored. 
Any person who really lives up to his duty, 
in the bestowment of his earthly posses- 
sions, is certainly on a high plane of Chris- 
tian living, and is holding up a worthy ex- 
ample to those around him. But love 
reaches out and beyond the duty line, into 
the realm of tenderness and* affection, 
where self-interests are forgotten for the 
time, and those of others gain a winsome 
precedence. 

We may say further that these offerings 
of love flow in different channels; — some- 
times finding expression in generous be- 
stowals upon personal friends now with 
us, and sometimes in memory of dear ones 
who have left us. These impulses of love, 
in either case, open doors of joy and privi- 



MEMORIALS 147 

lege, and often seem to render the impos- 
sible possible to us. 

I wish just now, to emphasize more 
specially the second class of love offerings, 
those that are prompted by our love for 
dear friends whose faces we no longer see 
upon the earth ; memorials, therefore, which 
touch the tenderest chords of our hearts. 

Oh, how many a glorious companionship 
that had in it the blessed fullness of Christ's 
presence, and the joy of Christ's life, has 
been suddenly ended in this world by 
death! How many a home, beautiful and 
united in Christ, has been darkened and 
saddened by the going out from it of a 
cherished and beloved one! Who of us has 
not lost from our sight a sweet child, per- 
haps; a fond, devoted husband; a father, a 
mother, a sister, or brother, whose yearly 
recurring birthday or wedding day, or 
whose anniversary of the final home-going, 
awakens tender emotions within our hearts, 
and brings to us a fresh sense of our loneli- 
ness ? The natural impulse, as these days 
come around, is to sit silently in the shadow 



148 MEMORIALS 

of our grief and selfishly dwell upon our 
losses; saying to those about us, " Behold, 
and see if there be any sorrow like unto my 
sorrow ! " 

But cannot our love manifest itself in a 
truer and worthier manner ? 

When our dear ones were with us, it was 
a joy to lavish upon them our choicest 
treasures. Now they are gone, do we not 
long to manifest our affection over and over 
again, in some old-time, tangible way ? 

Ah, my friends, if we only knew it, these 
sacred anniversaries bring to us the very 
golden opportunities we crave. 

It is indeed a happy thought that we may 
minister in their name to others, and so per- 
petuate the love we still cherish for them, 
by deeds of benevolence in Christ's name; 
that for their sakes still, we may place a 
gift of love on God's altar, which He will 
accept and transmute into blessing beyond 
our highest thought. 

It is delightful to know of the increasing 
number of God's children who have already 
discovered the blessed secret of assuaging 



MEMORIALS 149 

their own grief, by thoughtful sacrifice for 
others, — who are in the habit of welcoming 
the recurring day of sacred memory, because 
it renews the occasion for recording their 
never- waning love for the vanished one by a 
memorial gift — a gift which expresses also 
their unceasing gratitude to Him who 
granted them happy years of companion- 
ship in the past. 

Who shall say, that friends here and 
friends in the unseen world, who in the 
truest sense are one, may not thus be 
brought together in a very tender and sweet 
way? And that, by such a commingling 
of earthly and heavenly love and consecra- 
tion, God Himself may not be honored, and 
His cause on the earth advanced ? 

" What shall I do to keep your day, 
My darling, dead for many a year ? 
I could not, if I would, forget 
It is your day ; and yet, and yet — 
It is so hard to find a way 

To keep it, now you are not here. 

*' I cannot add the lightest thing 
To the full sum of happiness 
Which now is yours ; nor dare I try 



ISO MEMORIALS 



To frame a wish for you, for I 
Am blind to know, as weak to bring, 
All impotent to aid or bless. 

" And yet it is your day, and so — 

The gift I would have given to you, 

And which you cannot heed or take, 

Shall still be given ! and it shall be 

A secret between you and me. 

A sweet thought, every year anew, 

That it is given for your sake. 

" And so your day, yours safely still, 
Shall come and go with ebbing time, 
The day of all the year most sweet, 
Until the years, so slow, so fleet, 
Shall bring me, as in time they will, 
To where all days are yours and mine." 



Retrospect 



IN coming to the close of the year, I 
delight to testify to the long-suffering 
and patience of God toward me. His prom- 
ises are my daily comfort. His Word is 
an increasing joy and treasure in my heart. 
No book in the world has the attraction for 
me that the Bible has. " O, how love I Thy 
law." 

I am deeply grateful to God for His mani- 
fold mercies to me during the year. I can 
count my trials, — I cannot begin to number 
my blessings. Surely my cup runneth 
over, and it is my Heavenly Father who 
fills it. The riches of the whole world 
could not so satisfy my longings, as one 
taste of Jesus' love. 

No work is so sweet as that I am per- 
mitted to do for Him ; — no time so precious 
as that I spend with Him and with those 
15 1 



152 RETROSPECT 

that love Him ; — no friends so dear as those 
in whom I see reflected His image, and who 
have His spirit; — no conversation with 
friends so cheering and helpful, as that 
about Christ, and His forgiving love. 

So I bring my sins, and wants, and bur- 
dens, and my praises too, and lay them all 
down at His feet, and bear a song away. 

My prayer as the old year goes out, is, 
" Search me, O God, and know my heart; 
try me and know my thoughts ; and see if 
there be any wicked way in me, and lead me 
in the way everlasting" 



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